Sound mental health key to survive in professional space

Life is said to be a great leveler. It often comes with boundless delight after a long difficult phase, and similarly, appears to be cruel after a period of happiness. The latter is quite true for Rohit Sharma, the skipper of the Indian cricket team. In a year in which he led India to a world cup victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies, ending a winless drought of 13 years, and later in the year was filled with the joy of fatherhood for the second time, the scales turned completely against him with back-to-back losses in test matches and with runs drying up from his bat. Someone whose captaincy was hailed as transformational, has been facing the backlash for the 3-0 whitewash at home (a first in test cricket on Indian soil) against the Kiwis, followed by 2 defeats out of the 3 he captained in the ongoing BGT test series in Australia. With the bat, the Hitman has hit new lows with averages below 10 in the 2024-25 test cricket season. 

These are tough times, and keeping in mind the larger picture for the benefit of Indian cricket, captain Rohit (after discussing with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar) stood down from the last test of the ongoing BGT series in Sydney, which India needs to win in order to draw level the series and retain the BGT trophy. It’s not something we see often. As cricket fans, probably we all agree that it’s the right call that Rohit Sharma isn’t playing this game, given his not-so-great captaincy recently and poor form with the bat. In the last test match that he played at Melbourne and in the press meet after India lost the match, one could sense that he is a dejected soul. It is evident that at this point in time, mentally (and probably physically) he is unable to push himself further, no matter how desperately he wants to. To be fair to him, if he is mentally down, he needs to address that first and that is far more important than leading or playing for the Indian cricket team, as he has a life beyond cricket and he needs to live that well! 

Being in happy mental health is paramount for every professional, be it sports persons like Rohit Sharma who has played for nearly 18 years in national colors, or employees who slog it out in the dynamic corporate ecosystem for several years. We see a lot of motivational speakers on social media talking about mental health and the importance of work-life balance, but truth be told, it is easier said than achieved. Most of us, irrespective of gender or professional seniority, are often subject to mental stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil as we try to draw a balance between daily household chores and the pressing demands of corporate jobs. There are times when the performance level drops at work, often leading to employees being put under PIP. A scenario like this, or even the fear of failure, causes a lot of anxiety and takes a toll on one’s mental health. 

Image Courtesy: Google Images

In today’s competitive professional world, a sound mental health is true wealth. We try different things to keep our mind in good shape. It could be going on vacations (short or long), taking long sabbatical from work, changing jobs, or simply quitting for mental rejuvenation. The exact requirement varies from individuals, but taking care of mental health is needed nonetheless by all.