English golfer Andrew Johnston not too long ago spoke about his battle with psychological well being points, shedding mild on the darker facet of his fast rise to fame.
Johnston’s breakthrough second got here in 2016 when he clinched his maiden DP World Tour title on the Open de Espana and secured a powerful T8 end at The Open. Nevertheless, his sudden ascent to stardom got here with its personal set of challenges, main him right into a wrestle together with his psychological well-being.
In a dialog with former footballer Robbie Savage, forward of the BMW PGA Championship, Johnston mentioned his journey and the emotional toll it took. Johnston admitted:
“Swiftly, I’d stand on a spread subsequent to your Rory’s or Ricky Fowler’s, whoever it was, and I might be like, ‘that is ridiculous, I am not purported to be right here.”
The burden of expectations he positioned on himself to win constantly grew to become overwhelming, and he discovered himself trapped in a vicious cycle of self-imposed strain and disappointment. He described this era as a “massive kind of rabbit gap” the place the extra strain he felt, the more severe he carried out, additional fueling his anxiousness.
Accidents added to his challenges, together with a thumb harm in November 2021 that stored him away from the course for over a 12 months. Johnston’s return to aggressive golf introduced a mixture of feelings, and he started questioning whether or not he would ever play once more.
Nevertheless, it was throughout his time in Singapore for surgical procedure that Johnston hit his lowest level. He revealed:
“I keep in mind we had been on the nineteenth flooring, and one thing had rattled me, and I used to be in a extremely darkish place, and the ideas began popping into your head.”
Andrew Johnston credit his spouse and psychiatrist for overcoming his psychological well being points
Andrew Johnston together with his spouse (Picture through Getty)
Andrew Johnston highlighted the function of his spouse, Jodie, who offered essential help throughout his tumultuous instances. Johnston emphasised her function, saying:
“She has been superb, so so understanding. With out her, I don’t know the place I’d be.”
Looking for skilled assist, Andrew Johnston turned to famend sports activities psychiatrist Steve Peters in a bid to rewire his mind. After a couple of months away from the sport, he skilled a profound shift in his perspective.
In response to the golfer, Peters posed a poignant query that struck a chord with Johnston:
“You’re laying in your deathbed – what do you need to be remembered for?”
Andrew Johnston stated that his reply centered on being remembered for his fun-loving, good-natured character quite than his event wins, bringing a couple of highly effective realization. He added:
“I need to be Beef or Andrew, hanging out with my mates, that foolish, enjoyable character, having fun, having an excellent time, and remembered as a pleasant particular person. And he went, You haven’t talked about the golf event. It’s not that vital, is it? That gave me a giant slap of actuality. Wow. That stayed with me without end.”
Edited by Siddharth Dhananjay