Dublin ace Griffin promotes positive mental health initiative

Former Dublin football captain Paul Griffin will be at the Hilton Dublin Airport, Northern Cross tonight (Tuesday, November 22) and the Radisson Blue St Helen’s in Stillorgan tomorrow night to promote positive mental health by discussing the role that mind management can have in enhancing performance and overcoming adversity.  Paul will speak about the important role positive thinking played as he suffered set backs in his playing career with serious injuries over the past two seasons.

With an estimated 400,000 people in Ireland experiencing depression at any one time, the Lean on Me campaign, supported by Lundbeck Ireland and Aware, was developed to encourage better understanding of the condition, encourage friends and family to provide support to those affected, and encourage them to seek treatment if necessary.  The Lean on Me- To Win roadshow, will promote positive mental health and introduce techniques to help people get the best out of themselves day-to-day.

Paul will be joined in Dublin by Caroline Currid, a performance coach and sports psychologist who has worked with the All-Ireland winning Dublin football and Tipperary hurling teams and Ireland rugby star Paul O’Connell.  She will discuss some practical tools and techniques for managing a healthy mind, many of which are regularly used by professional sports people on and off the pitch.

Speaking ahead of the event, Caroline said, “Often, we concentrate too much on negative things which are out of our control and which can sometimes have a detrimental effect on our daily lives.”

“High level sports people, amateur and professional, have to deal with their negative thoughts throughout their careers and are encouraged to learn how to manage them in order to maximise their performances.”

“There are simple techniques that sports stars use which can be adopted by men and women of all ages to help them manage their thoughts and maintain a healthy, positive mind.  Alan Quinlan might look big and tough, but he has to work just as hard as everyone else to maintain a positive outlook.”

A healthcare professional and volunteer from depression support charity Aware will also be on hand at the event on Thursday 24th November to outline the common symptoms of depression and highlight local services that are available to those affected.

As well as Dublin, the Lean on Me – To Win roadshow will visit venues in Wexford and Clonmel where former Munster and Ireland star rugby player Alan Quinlan will talk about how he has overcome many challenges, both physical and mental, playing sport at the highest level and discuss the techniques he uses to maintain a positive outlook.

Speaking about the events Eithne Boyan, Managing Director, Lundbeck Ireland, said, “We are delighted to continue to support the Lean on Me campaign and introduce this new element of mind management techniques.  People with depression and other mental health conditions can only hope to improve if they take part in their own recovery and these techniques can be part of the process.”

The events are free of charge but pre-registration is required.  Log on to http://www.leanonme.net.

Programme of Events:
Tuesday, 22nd November
Tea/coffee from 1830 program kicks off at 1900
Hilton Dublin Airport, Northern Cross, Malahide, Dublin 17

Wednesday, 23rd November
Tea/coffee from 1830 program kicks off at 1900
Radisson Blue St Helen’s, Stillorgan Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

Thursday, 24th November
Tea/coffee from 1830 program kicks off at 1900
Clonmel Park Conference, Leisure & Spa Hotel, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary

About Lean on Me:
Lean on Me is an ongoing campaign to encourage open discussion about depression and to provide people with the knowledge and resources to recognise symptoms of depression in themselves or their friends and loved ones.

See http://www.leanonme.net