I feel like we all start our relationship with sport for much the same reasons - because it has the power to bring out the best in us. While it turned into being a job for me, sport was and is much deeper than just an occupation. For me getting involved in sport was initially about feeling accepted, about building my self-worth and confidence.
I wasn't that confident when I was a kid. Because I showed early promise both in athleticism and coordination I was encouraged to take up athletics, but as someone who didn't really feel like I fitted in, the thought of doing individual sports terrified me. It wasn't until I got involved with team sports that I started to feel a sense of belonging. I felt a part of something as you were all trying to achieve the same thing and weren't being judged on anything individually. Once I had the support of a team around me it changed me as a person, making me realise that I could actually take some control over how I felt. To find out that I had a place I could go to a few times a week to build my confidence and feel better about myself was massively empowering.
Structure is another really beneficial aspect of doing physical activity. Although I retired from playing hockey after Rio 2016, I now understand more than ever before how the structure of taking part in sport helped me, both physically and mentally. If I don't get out for a walk or a cycle for more than a few days I get really itchy feet. But one of the real joys is that it's no longer about proving myself of being the best. I can do it for myself, whether that's going out for a bike ride or a walk with friends. Being able to get out in the fresh air and away from it all is now my way to reset and switch off, like a form of mindfulness.
It's from these personal experiences that I know just how important sport can play not only in improving people's physical health, but also your mental wellbeing. I believe passionately in the power of sport to boost mental health, which is why I recently gave the key note speech at an event for the mental health charity, Mind. Their Get Set to Go project is a shining example of how helping people with mental health problems to get active can make a huge difference. Their research has shown that people with mental health problems who are more regularly active have better mental wellbeing. The social support that comes from this also provides lasting resilience and helps to keep people on an even keel.
Get Set to Go managed to increase participants levels of activity by an average of 1.3 days a week. This might not sound a lot, but if you've been living with a mental health problem sometimes the thought of even leaving the house, let alone going into the gym can seem incredibly daunting. Despite being an Olympian, I've never actually done a fitness class in a gym because I've never had the confidence to go on my own! So I know that having the helping hand of people around you can be the difference between getting active or not. Everyone needs that little bit of support sometimes.
One of the things that struck me most about taking part in London 2012 was the swell of community spirit it inspired. It was amazing being welcomed by the friendly faces of the many volunteers taking part, many of whom I then bumped into again when they chose to volunteer a second time at Rio 2016. I left both of those Olympics not just with medals, but with the belief that sporting events increase everyone's togetherness and their willingness to do more to help others. What I'd love to see is us all, but particularly the countries' sports and recreation organisations, getting behind the recommendations of Mind's Get Set to Go project and helping more people with mental health problems become and remain physically active. Together we can use sport to change lives. I know because it changed mine.