Struggling with mental health? Give Athletico Mince a try… it’ll improve your mood tenfold
In a world swamped with podcasts, choose one that delivers consistent laughs and is well worth spending hard earned money on…
Above: Experience a world in which Eddie Howe interacts with Steve McLaren and his pet snake Casper…
Mental health is a topic many people talk about, but is also one that many misunderstand completely.
It’s something that was never discussed growing up for me. As a boy with a good group of mates (many of whom I still see regularly to this day) but was definitely not in the “popular” crew at school, many things made me anxious and I felt often that I didn’t want to go to school. I never had a day off because of it - my parents always sent me to school even when I probably shouldn’t have gone due to illness - and the resilience built up did me the world of good.
I digress already, but as a teacher in one of the most challenging schools in the north of England, it’s amazing how far mental health awareness has come - particularly in schools. Male mental health is definitely now more prevalent, but so much is still needed to get young lads to trust someone to open up to about their issues.
It’s the same with blokes older too - the “it’s okay not to be okay” posts on Twitter actually helped me get through a dark time last year when the school I worked at during that time experienced a horrific situation where a sixth form student lost his life and many more were injured. I supported brothers and friends of those affected, but the strain it took on me was horrific. I broke down at work over little things as I tried to be strong for the lads that depended on me, but I was struggling as well as them.
Which brings me onto my actual point… Athletico Mince.
You might have heard of it, you might not - but it’s unlike anything else you’ll ever hear, in a good way.
It’s a podcast that’s sort of about football, but it’s also sort of not. Presented by Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson (not the ex Hull City player and current Assistant Coach), it mixes silly songs, daft quizzes and bizarre character comedy with questions and musings from paying subscribers.
There is a football twist to lots of things within the show, but I like to think of it as if Shooting Stars (the TV show also starring Mortimer) was re-imagined into a podcast - and if that doesn’t sell you, nothing will.
Mortimer and Dawson create a bizarre alternative reality where old British Football managers have huge influence in society - and Steve McLaren has a pet snake, Peter Beardsley and his wife Carol live a life addicted to eggs while Martin from Homes Under the Hammer attempts to look round famous footballers’ houses and Harry Maguire of all people is reinvented with a Bristol accent trying to run a farm a la Jeremy Clarkson.
I could write about the podcast until the proverbial cows come home, but in the interests of time I’ll get back to the point… why should you listen to it?
It has been - and I mean this seriously - a lifeline for me over the past two years. I know that every few weeks, there will be another Athletico Mince released and the laughs it will give me will lighten my mood, no matter what’s on my mind.
In 2021, a tumour (albeit benign in the end, but I wasn’t to know that at the time) had to be cut off the back of my head. That was a scary time in my life, and my mind was all over the place with uncertainty. Add to that the horrors of mid 2022 in the community I taught in at the time not long after and it’s no exaggeration that Mortimer and Dawson got me through some pretty dark times.
Listen, this isn’t a miracle cure or anything. It won’t be for everyone… some people might just think it’s simply strange and not funny. But if just one person happens to read this, listen to Athleico Mince (paid or free options) and find everything a little easier to handle after a 45 minute episode, it was worth me writing this long piece.
Cheers, Bob and Andy. You’ve made a difference to me. Maybe it’ll do the same for you!
Images taken from @AthleticoMince On Twitter