NBL1 x Mental Health Month: Greg Hire's journey

With lockdowns around Australia coming to an end, Rockingham Flames legend Greg Hire has encouraged fellow NBL1 athletes to continue mindful practices. 

During the global pandemic, Hire believes mental health has come to the forefront of a lot of conversations, allowing people to recognise its importance. 

In Mental Health Month, those conversations have been continuing, much to Hire’s delight. 

But once this month ends, Hire says the conversations should be continuing and healthy habits people developed during lockdowns should try to be maintained. 

“We were forced to be able to manage our wellbeing so that we could remain efficient, be productive and mentally healthy,” Hire says.

“This now has to be translated to when we go back into normal day-to-day life. 

“If someone started playing the guitar or did puzzles, there was a reason you did that. 

“It was to give yourself happiness, to give yourself a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose.

“That shouldn't change just because the world's changed. 

“Would it be realistic to do everything? 

“No, it’s just trying to implement those things that you have done.” 

During the pandemic, Hire’s organisation, A Stitch In Time, had to adapt the way they empowered Western Australians to be forces of change in their community, and ultimately create positive health and wellbeing health outcomes. 

Instead of predominantly working with schools and organisations, their focus changed to include sporting clubs and schools.

They were also forced to take their workshops online, utilising clinical psychologists as well as sharing lived experiences. 

In the past financial year alone, A Stitch In Time has conducted over 350 workshops in sporting clubs, schools and organisations. 

For Hire, it’s the sporting clubs who are often the ones that can make the biggest difference to someone’s mental health. 

“Sporting clubs can be a beacon of hope in terms of normalising the conversation of mental health, providing education and insight in terms of how you can manage your wellbeing in a safe space,” he says.

“For us, it's empowering those clubs and pairing those individuals within the clubs to become accredited in mental health training. 

“It's giving them the necessary tools to help people manage their wellbeing. 

“When we look at mental health, it's not just depression or anxiety or OCD or bipolar disorder or eating disorders. 

“What we’re really trying to push is mental health isn't just important if you're diagnosed with a mental health condition. 

“We're trying to be preemptive and preventive. 

“We can do things in our day-to-day practice which are quite easy and they're free.” 

Another important part of Hire’s life is his time with the Perth Wildcats, where he won four championships during a nine-year career. 

Four championships might seem like the very definition of success on the surface, but the 34-year-old admits that he was often struggling with his mental health behind the scenes.

“Even as a professional athlete, I wish now that I would've done things differently,” he says.

“I wish I would've dealt with social media in a much different way. 

“I wish I would have gone and seen my psychologist earlier. 

“I wish I would've seen my therapist on a regular basis. 

“Would it have prolonged my playing career? 

“I don't think that will ever be answered, but I wouldn't be asking those questions if I had done those things. 

“You don't want to be sitting in that uncertainty.”

Those tough times off the court extended to Hire’s family life. 

A family member of his had been diagnosed with a mental health condition and a close friend had attempted to take their own life, which led Hire to engage in some “damaging behaviours”. 

Having now come out the other side, the Flames legend wants to empower people who may be in similar situations to take a different path in dealing with trauma and grief. 

“I want to be able to educate elite athletes, grassroots athletes and community members that there can be things done,” he says.

“Mental health isn’t rocket science, nobody’s searching for this secret potion. 

“It’s a cookie-cutter approach, everyone’s different in their own ways.”If this article has brought up anything for you or somebody you know, Lifeline is available for 24/7 support on 13 11 14. Alternatively, you can find support at lifeline.org.au.