Stevie Ward “feels hopeless at times” but striving for better days

Former Leeds captain Stevie Ward says he has been struggling since retiring from rugby league because of concussions but is striving for better days.

In January, the 27-year-old announced his immediate retirement from the game due to long-term concussions.

Ward suffers with symptoms caused by the concussions on a daily basis and he is now focused on making a full recovery as well as working with Mantality –  his platform to help people improve their mental health.

He told Sky Sports: “The migraines seem to have never left me. Whether thats with the stress and emotion of retiring – it probably is.

“There are some days where I can hang my hat on not having too much bad headache in the day and feel like there might be space for improvement.

“It has been pretty tough I’m not going to lie and there are a lot of times where I feel a bit hopeless in a way because the symptoms just seem to be persisting but I’m staying strong.

“I’ve made it a non-negotiable for me to meditate every day to have a practice of gratitude and to share that with people through the work I do with Mantality and getting that mental health and brain health training regime going.

“Without that strong support network that I’ve had, it would be a really different story. I’m looking for brighter days I’d say.”

For more information on Mantality, visit mantality.co.uk or follow the Instagram page.

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