Danny Malin: My biggest takeaways following my mental health struggle

I didn’t want to tell people that I had a stroke early last year because I didn’t want to be treated any differently. 

It wasn’t the physical changes that I struggled with most, it was the mental side of things. 

Accepting that everything had changed. I was in denial. 

Everybody rolls through life doing the same thing, doing what they’re supposed to or what  you’re led to do. We’re like sheep sometimes. 

You get up, you have your breakfast, you go to work, you come home, you have your tea, you relax, you go to bed. It’s rinse and repeat. Weekends, you spend time with your family, you do certain things. When that changes, your whole world changes. The way that you do things has to change. 

Late last year things reached a crisis point. I just couldn’t be bothered anymore. I felt like a burden. On the surface I was ‘the funny fat guy off Rate My Takeaway’ but at home I was a mess.

After being nagged by my wife Sophie Mei Lan I finally gave in and accepted help. 

I saw a neuropsychiatrist at the hospital. 

I now know I shouldn’t have been worrying about what people are going to think about me seeking help from a shrink. 

the fact that they’re there to help you, and then when they’re talking to you, and they’re talking about things that you would never dream of doing, like listening to running water and watching leaves float down the river, put your problems on them and watch them float away. Listen to them, try it, and have a go. Some things worked for me, some things didn’t. 

But the ones that did helped me greatly.

This gave me the strength to share publicly about my stroke. After I had come to terms with it myself. 

 It’s been a massive weight off my shoulders, to be honest. The reaction has been a lot better than I thought it would be because of the job that I do, and the amount of trolls that I get, I thought it would be worse than what it actually was, and to be honest, I was quite humbled over the amount of support that I received from people, which has just been absolutely amazing.

 I’ve learned not to get hung up on the past, but look to the future.

The biggest thing that I’ve learned is to trust people around you and to trust the process. Lean into your community. The guys at Silverbacks rugby league are a massive support alongside friends and family.

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