London
England off-spinner Dom Bess believes maintaining physical fitness has helped him cope with anxiety issues caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
“Getting out running and fit always gets me in a positive mindset and having a bit of structure,” said Bess, in a Zoom conversation with former Somerset team-mate Marcus Trescothick, whose own mental health issues cut short his England career.
“I know how it affects me,” added Bess, who first spoke about his mental health problems in an interview last month. “I always call them triggers. Even little things like the weather. “There’s times where it’s been really bad and I really struggle to get out of bed and the motivation is not there any more.
“I struggle with that quite a lot and getting going is always the hardest part for me, certainly in this lockdown.
“There’s been little triggers but I’m fortunate enough to have two people in my household, my girlfriend and my housemate, to make sure that I’m all right and keep going with it.”
The 22-year-old Bess revived his Test career with a five-wicket haul against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in January. He attributed some of his recent success to working with a psychologist who had no previous knowledge of cricket in a scheme funded by the Professional Cricketers’ Association trust.—AFP