It gave me a tad more perspective. – Nat Sciver-Brunt discusses his mental health leave

Nat Sciver-Brunt, a star all-rounder for England, has discussed her mental health hiatus and how seeing a sports psychologist helped her gain perspective prior to her return to professional cricket. N

In September 2022, following England’s dismal performance at the Commonwealth Games, the 30-year-old decided to take a break from cricket. England was optimistic about their prospects of winning the gold medal, but they were unsuccessful and finished in fourth place. She later skipped the series against India, citing ’emotional exhaustion’ as the reason.

The cricketer took a much-needed mental health vacation and disclosed that she met with a clinical psychologist twice.

Due to the previous six to twelve months, I felt that a hiatus was necessary. It did overwhelm me a little bit. I completed tasks that had been on the agenda for a year. Sky Sports quoted Nat Sciver-Brunt as saying, “Just being happy at home and doing normal things: mowing the lawn and walking the dog.”

“I spoke with a clinical psychologist a few times and attempted to reflect on things, particularly the Commonwealth Games, how they transpired and how they affected me, which is likely the primary cause for my desire to return home. “Since then, I haven’t spoken to her, but I feel like I’ve gained some perspective and am now able to not recover from things, but rather deal with whatever comes my way,” she added.

Guess the WPL coincided with my feeling positive about my cricket performance: Nat Sciver-Brunt

The England international was one of the most expensive WPL auction acquisitions and went on to have a significant impact for the Mumbai Indians. When discussing her WPL voyage and mental health at the time, Nat Sciver-Brunt mentioned that she began to feel better precisely at that time.

“The WPL coincided with me being in a good position with my cricket and as a person, in addition to being extremely content. I did not need to ruminate on it excessively. I didn’t have to consider that; I just had to focus on the cricket,” she added.