Riding hamster wheel is not always good for mental health

Excusing yourself even for a short time is good for soul

Working on my Bell Let’s Talk piece in the home office.

Sometimes you just have to get off the hamster wheel.

That was analogy I didn’t know was a thing until about three months ago. It actually came to me via the sports entertainment world of pro wrestling early this past November.

During a promo on an AEW Dynamite show, CM Punk talked seriously about one-time rival Jon Moxley. Moxley, who had been that promotion’s heavyweight champion, had entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program.

Punk, whose real name is Phillip Jack Brooks, said he was proud of Moxley for realizing he had to take himself off the hamster wheel to get the help he needed and that Moxley was brave taking that step.

Moxley, whose real name is Jonathan David Good, is married to Renee Paquette, who first made a name for herself as sports broadcaster in Canada with The Score from 2009 to 2012 before shooting to a huge rise in fame in a run with WWE from 2012 to 2020. Moxley, who has been in the pro wrestling business for over 17 years, and Paquette met in WWE.

I had never linked the analogy of the hamster wheel with the mental health world until I saw that promo with Punk, who is very articulate and well thought out.

 I am starting to have what you would consider a longer run with the mental health world with my first realizations almost a decade ago.

On my own front, I have known I have battled with issues dealing with anxiety since 2012. I write about my experiences on the mental health front in hopes it will help others.

Since 2016, I’ve kept up with a tradition where I write a post regarding mental health on Bell Let’s Talk day.

A Jon Moxley AEW figure.

There is still a stigma around mental health issues, and they are unfortunately still treated as the elephant in the room in too many circles.

On my own front, I am in a way better place than I was 10 years ago. I am in a way better spot than I was six years ago.

While I believe I have gotten a tonne better over the last decade, mental health is something I continue to learn about. I will have “aha moments” come to me in the most unlikely of places.

That Punk promo was an “aha moment.”

He explained he made his own choices to get off the hamster wheel in the past. Punk said Moxley had been on a hamster wheel, because he had been going and going, thinking he had to show toughness all the time, battle through injuries like they weren’t there, be sick and show up for work, help other people and be super generous for a long stretch of time.

Punk said you get to the point you have to take yourself off the hamster wheel.

For Bell Let’s Talk day in January of 2020, I wrote that it was a mental health challenge to learn to take a break, and it was important to take breaks.

Punk’s explanation of the hamster wheel took that to a whole new level of realization.

No matter what walk of life you are in, you do get placed on a hamster wheel.

In the world of competitive sports where outcomes are undecided, elite athletes are on a hamster wheel. Whether it be hockey, football, baseball, basketball, softball, track and field, speed skating, soccer or whatever your athletic pursuit, you are training year round and being evaluated constantly to see if you are performing at a high level and continuing to reach new levels of high performance.

A picture of myself in front of photos I've shot over the years.

Sometimes that results in athletes shouldering extra pressure that their team will lose and they will let their teammates down, if they don’t perform well. That can be a hamster wheel.

Those in sports management positions can be on a hamster wheel too. They are constantly trying to ensure athletes, coaches and staffers are healthy physically and mentally, always having to ensure proper funding is coming in to allow athletes to get to events and have the best equipment possible and ensure the business administrative mechanisms are functioning well.

If you miss time as an administrator, there are always worries those jobs won’t get done. You are on a hamster wheel there too.

Those examples can be taken to any working environment be it health career, education, retail, banking, manufacturing, shipping, policing, energy production or whatever the job may be. All those environments create places where those working in them shoulder pressures that they will let everyone down if they are not there to do their roles.

Eventually, you do hit a point where the pressure becomes too much you have to totally cut yourself away from those worlds. It doesn’t have to be forever, but you might need to be away for a span of time.

In Moxley’s case, he got professional and ultimate returned to AEW after about three months.

In some cases, you might not even the assistance of professional help to come to that realization.

I realized that for myself when I attended a wedding for one of my nieces early this past September in Jasper, Alta.

I'm all dressed up out in Jasper, Alta., early last September.

My everyday world is the sports and media world, and I live those careers to a point they are a lifestyle. If I take a break from one aspect of that world, I am still busy with another aspect be it on sports writing, photography or communications.

That wedding marked the first time I totally cut myself off those worlds for at least a one-week period since the summer of 2014, when I relocated from Medicine Hat, Alta., to Saskatoon, Sask.

With Jasper being a resort town with no links to any part of my life, I truly made a clean break for a week. Ultimately, the wedding was awesome and the week was awesome.

On top of being cut off from the sports and media worlds, I allowed myself to be pretty much cut off from social media too.

One day after the wedding, a feeling came over me that this all felt really good. It was a good feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time.

It reminded me of a time when I took actual vacations during my 10-year run as a sportswriter with the Medicine Hat News from 2004 to 2014 and experience more periods of personal time, while still having a busy schedule. While I wasn’t jumping on a plane to go to Hawaii to lie down on a beach, I was off on social excursions with friends, or like the summer of 2007, taking a pleasure drive through the mountains in southern British Columbia.

A lot of that disappeared from 2012 to 2014 when vacations and personal time didn’t feel like those things as those were periods I where I was in my initial stages of working my way through mental health issues.

When Punk gave the promo about Moxley and the hamster wheel in early November, I realized I had gotten off my hamster wheel, when I attended my niece’s wedding. It added a sense of refreshment I hadn’t felt for some time.

Another game day is wrapped up for myself at the SaskTel Centre.

You can also get yourself on a hamster wheel with constant interaction with people you don’t know especially trolls on social media. Sometimes that happens with people you do know on social media.

During this past year with the world still stuck in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I’ve found social media to be more toxic than ever before. Twitter is the worst social media line for this.

As for Twitter, I’ve followed an example set by Punk here in just blocking the trolls and people you need to block instead of engaging with them. For myself, it feels good every time I block a troll, especially if it is an anonymous account with less than 10 followers.

These days I try to be a bit more mindful of where I am on the hamster wheel. If anyone feels they need to get off their own hamster wheels for a bit, I hope they feel enabled to take that step, because it ultimately show a lot of courage.

Bell Let’s Talk in specter of “Bell Let’s Cut”

A Bell Let’s Talk toque.

I admit I was unsure if I was going to do my traditional mental health post on Bell Let’s Talk day this year.

In recent years, Bell Canada, which is the telecommunications company that run Bell Let’s Talk day, has had a habit of releasing employees in the months after the company’s mental health awareness and fundraising day.

Bell Canada received huge criticism bringing in job days after Bell Let’s Talk day was held last year on January 28.

Any time Bell Canada cuts jobs, the term “Bell Let’s Cut” is inevitably brought up.

The question is brought up that how can a company that supports mental health initiatives turn around and just cut people, who immediately are faced with the prospects of losing their livelihoods and identities.

Due to the Bell Canada operates in the media world, I’ve had friends that have been released from jobs with Bell Canada, and they were all hard working people that showed great initiative.

Bell Canada has been criticized for using the Bell Let’s Talk campaign as a tax write off while bringing in massive amounts of revenue to make you question why jobs are being cut.

After the layoffs Bell Canada made last year, I had to ask myself if I wanted to go through with a new post this year on Bell Let’s Talk Day.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, I often celebrated the fact so much awareness came up regarding mental health issues on Bell Let’s Talk day.

I also celebrated the progress I’ve made in my own journey often having a nice dinner with my mom in the evening of Bell Let’s Talk day at Cactus Club Cafe in Saskatoon. The last of those dinners came on Bell Let’s Talk day in January of 2020.

I decided to do a post, because of the awareness this day brings regarding mental health issues in Canada.

Searching social media on Tuesday the day before Bell Let’s Talk day, I saw a lot of posts from people saying they had supported Bell Let’s Talk Day in the past but wouldn’t this year due to the employee cuts that have happened in the past.

Today on Bell Let’s Talk day, I’ve seen numerous great shares regarding mental health issues in Canada and people coming forward to share their own stories of challenges on the mental health front.

If people feel better to make donations directly to mental health charities as opposed to participating in Bell Canada’s Bell Let’s Talk day program, I hope people feel free to act in that direction.

If people want to still retweet #BellLetsTalk on Twitter, they should feel free to do so.

It is always a good thing when you can keep the mental health conversation going.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. My Bell Let’s Talk post from last year called “COVID-19 pandemic forces world to face mental health” can be found by clicking right here. A piece from 2020 called “A big mental health challenge is learning to take a break” can be found right here. A piece from 2019 called “Those facing mental health challenges can still be great in all parts of life” can be found right here. A piece from 2018 called “Being content can become a mental health challenge” can be round right here. A piece from 2017 called “Recognizing and respecting triggers is key for mental health” can be found right here. A piece from 2016 called “Feeling connected calms the mental health seas” can be found right here. A piece called “My Mental Health Story” can be found right here. Another post I like that I wrote in February of 2015 about my mental health journey call “Huskies hockey was good for me” can be found right here.

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Touring abandoned downtown Saskatoon in COVID-19 scare

Downtown Saskatoon was looking pretty empty on Sunday.

    I didn’t realize how unnerved I would feel to see downtown Saskatoon empty.

    As the governments at all levels of Canada continue to shut society down and promote social distancing to halt the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I decided on Sunday to take a tour of downtown Saskatoon.

    The idea popped in my head one day earlier, when I drove through that area on a supply run with my mom. We were shocked to see how empty the streets were.

    When I went on Sunday, I was planning to drive around and take photos from my car.

The look of 2nd Avenue in downtown Saskatoon on Sunday.

    When I got to downtown Saskatoon and realized that seemly no one was there, I elected to park my car on 2^nd Avenue across the street from the Bank of Montreal and go for a tour on foot.

    I suspected it wouldn’t be hard to observe social distancing on this walk.

    Typically on a normal Sunday, downtown Saskatoon is vibrant and full of activity. During the summer months, you might encounter an event happening in the streets.

    On my Sunday trek, it was an odd different to see close to no one walking around, only the odd car on the streets unless I walked down Idylwyld Drive and almost all the parking spots sitting empty.

A look at City Hall in downtown Saskatoon on Sunday.

    An exception to the parked cars observation was by the old Hudson’s Bay building, which houses loft style apartments.

    Even Idylwyld wasn’t as busy as it normally is.

    For most of my tour, I felt like I was living a scene straight out of the 1971 movie The Andromeda Strain. Specifically, I thought of the scene where two scientists were walking through Piedmont, New Mexico, where most of the town’s people were killed by a deadly alien organism that was on a crashed satellite from outer space.

A look at the Delta Hotels Bessborough in downtown Saskatoon on Sunday.

    (*Side note – The Andromeda Strain is a good movie to watch, but it wouldn’t be good for viewing if you are really anxious about the current COVID-19 scare.*)

    The one big difference from The Andromeda Strain movie was I wasn’t walking around seeing the bodies of the deceased lying around.

    The one similarity was I saw a collection of buildings and streets sitting empty waiting to be used.

Most of downtown Saskatoon looked like everyone just dropped what they were doing and left. Most of the flags that were flown from various buildings were still flapping in the wind.

Signs still hung advertising the Juno Awards in downtown Saskatoon.

    Signs were still up in various places advertising The Juno Awards, which were set for March 15 in Saskatoon but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Glam medal 1980s era style music still blared from Smoke’s Poutinerie. It caught me off guard to hear that music blaring into an empty street.

    Looking through the restaurant window, you couldn’t see a single person. If a kitchen staffer was on duty, that person was likely in a concealed away area.

    As I walked through downtown, I found the doors of some businesses were padlocked shut. A handful of businesses had signs flashing they were open, but I didn’t have the urge to go inside.

Music blared from Smoke’s Poutinerie.

    It was different to walk up to Hudsons Pub and see it sitting perfectly quiet. The only activity came from a staffer that stopped in to apparently check on the place.

    The Delta Hotels Bessborough sat there without anyone walking in or out of it, when I traveled past.

    I finally continued the loop making my way down 20^th Street towards Midtown Plaza. I came across the billboard sign from the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades asking the city to “stay strong.”

    Even if you somehow were able to avoid the news of the current day, you should be able to come to the conclusion that something terrible was going on.

    I proceeded to walk up Idylwyld and came across the Cactus Club Cafe. The blinds were pulled down over all the windows and the parking lot was empty around the establishment outside of about two or three cars likely belonging to staff that were working to the kitchen for takeout orders.

    Patrons usually have their photos taken at the outside entrance in front of the Cactus Club Cafe sign. I had never done during normal times, but I elected to take a selfie on Sunday.

Businesses in downtown Saskatoon were locked up.

    Going down 22^nd Street to get back to my parked car on 2^nd Avenue, I walked by TCU Place, The Bay on the north side of Midtown Plaza and Affinity Credit Union. All had an abandoned feel to them.

    TCU Place is usually jumping on a Sunday, and to see it not busy on a Sunday was odd.

During my tour, I believe I only encountered about three other people who happened to be walking around.

    While seeing downtown empty felt hollow, I felt safe in a strange way, because there was no one around.

An upbeat downtown Saskatoon billboard from the Saskatoon Blades.

    Before I got back to my car, I found a “stay healthy” billboard that promoted actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

    After arriving back at my car, I proceeded to drive home, which meant driving past the bus mall. I drove past a lady standing in the bus mall wearing a First World War style looking gas mask.

    It was the last reminder I needed to reinforce the current world was a changed alternate universe one. I still desperately hope the world can get back to normal sooner than later.

CHL cancels playoffs, off-season activities start

The SaskTel Centre and all rinks won’t host any CHL playoff games in 2020

    With all the cancellations and postponements that have been going on in the sports and entertainment worlds due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it seemed it would be more and more difficult for the three major junior hockey Leagues under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella to host a post-season.

    On Monday, the CHL officially canceled all post-season activities for the WHL, OHL and QMJHL and the Memorial Cup tournament. The Memorial Cup was first awarded in 1919, and this will mark the first year since that time it won’t be handed out.

    Due to the uncertainty created by COVID-19, it was hard to come up with a scenario to allow major junior hockey playoffs to proceed.

    The current times even saw the upcoming Summer Olympic Games that were set to start on July 24 get postponed to next year. That announcement was made on Tuesday.

    In Canada, the seasons for all levels of amateur hockey came to a premature end due to COVID-19.

    In Saskatoon, the last meaningful competitive hockey game was held on March 12 at Merlis Belsher Place, when the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors downed the Saskatoon Contacts 5-3 in Game 3 of a best-of-five Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series. The Warriors swept the series 3-0.
    On top of the public health factor, I believe the logistics were making it too hard for the CHL to comeback and complete the 2019-20 campaign.

    There is optimistic hope the COVID-19 scare will go away in two months. Still, it is impossible to make that determination for sure, and even if you do, it is unclear what would still be present for government restrictions.
    Besides trying to navigate travel restrictions to get players back, teams also have to deal with finding availabilities with their facilities. Even during spring and summer months, arenas will be booked for concerts and conventions well in advance.

Zack Hayes’s major junior career has come to an end with the Raiders.

    On top of all of that, there is the expense of keep artificial ice in a facility, when it is not being used.

    While everyone seemed destined to miss out on something special due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is sad the respective overagers on each club didn’t get one last farewell salute.

    The Prince Albert Raiders topped the WHL’s East Division for a second straight year with a 36-18-6-4 record. The cancellation of the rest of the season brings an end to the major junior careers of captain Zack Hayes, defenceman Jeremy Masella and left-winger Brayden Watts.

    The Saskatoon Blades qualified for the WHL post-season with a 34-24-2-3 record. The cancellation of the rest of the campaign ends the major junior careers of left-winger Riley McKay and defencemen Nolan Kneen and Scott Walford.

    The WHL cancelled its league awards function and Bantam Draft that were slated for May 6 and 7 respectively in Red Deer, Alta.

    The WHL Bantam Draft will be conducted online on April 22. Further information on the Bantam Draft and how the league awards will be presented will be given out at a later date.

    The WHL went about some off-season business on Wednesday. The league held its lottery for the first round of the WHL Bantam Draft, and the Regina Pats won the right to make the first overall selection.

    The Pats ended up with that selection after acquiring the Swift Current Broncos first round pick via the trade route through the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

    On Tuesday, highly touted bantam prospect Connor Bedard became the first player to be granted exceptional player status for the WHL, which means he could play full-time on the circuit in his 15-year-old campaign.

    Pats general manager John Paddock told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post on Wednesday the Pats will select Bedard with first overall selection.

    On Wednesday, the WHL held its first ever U.S. prospects draft. The Red Deer Rebels selected forward Gracyn Sawchyn from Minneapolis, Minn., with the first overall selection. Sawchyn, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 130 pounds, piled up 32 goals and 51 assists in 54 games for the Shattuck-St. Mary’s Sabres under-14 team.

    The Raiders took forward Jamison Sluys from Point Roberts, Wash., with the fifth overall pick in the first round. Sluys, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 145 pounds, had seven goals and 26 assists in 27 games with the Delta Hockey Academy Bantam Prep Green in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

    The Raiders proceeded to select forward Declan Stewart from Hawthorne, Calif., in the second round and 40^th overall. Stewart, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 133 pounds, played for the Los Angeles under-14 junior Kings last season posting seven goals and 13 assists in 55 games.

Riley McKay’s major junior career has come to an end with the Blades.

    The Blades took defenceman Ze’ev Buium from Laguna Niguel, Calif., with the 22^nd pick in the first round. Buium, who stands 5-foot-5 and weighs 125 pounds, recorded two goals and 14 assists in 56 games with the Shattuck-St. Mary’s Sabres.

    The Blades proceeded to take forward Brenden Fields from Ladera Ranch, Calif., in the second round and 23^rd overall. Fields, who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 124 pounds, posted 28 goals and 29 assists in 54 games with the Los Angeles under-14 junior Kings.

    All the players selected in the U.S. Prospects Draft are born in 2005, which means they won’t be eligible to play full time in the league until the 2021-22 campaign.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.