Mental health is a subject close to the heart of Brentford defender Ben Mee.
At his former club Burnley, the 35-year-old was a mental health ambassador and launched Burnley FC in the Community's Schools' Mental Wellbeing Project, which helps young people with their mental wellbeing.
Being heavily involved in this programme became intensely personal for Ben's family when in 2020 his daughter was born prematurely at 24 weeks.
Hearing about techniques and tips from the Schools' Mental Wellbeing Project played an important role for Mee as he dealt with a distressing and tough period of time in his own life.
Mee's commitment to playing a role in the local community has continued since his move to Brentford in 2022 and last year that work with the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust was recognised when he was named as the Professional Footballers' Association's Community Champion.
And so, to mark World Mental Health Day, Mee has spoken to us about his community work as well as the importance of mental wellbeing to him as well as the wider community.
"Throughout my career I've always tried to get involved in community work. At Burnley and Brentford I've seen first hand how good the work is and how impactful it can be. It's something that I want to carry on after football.
"When you are inside the bubble as a player, you sometimes don't realise how much of an impact you can have. But when you meet people, see their reactions and you get a sense of how much it means to them to meet their heroes, that makes it really worthwhile.
"For a player there's lots of benefits being out and about, there's self growth, there's that connection with the club, to the fans. Strengthening that link between the club and the local area is massively important. Fans see players on the pitch and if they see them off it, being normal people and having a chat with participants of all ages, and it can create a real sense of community.
"Going to a project puts a smile on your face and makes you grateful to be in the position that you are in. It humbles you.
"The mind is a very funny thing. For me, a lot of playing football is in the mind. Working on mindset and fostering that strength of will, that character, that mentality, is so important.
"The mental health project in Burnley really hit home for me, seeing young people in the community, going out into schools, meeting people, encouraging them to talk, encouraging them to speak about issues, really engaging with each other as well as with a counsellor in the group sessions.
"I would go back to see how the young people were getting on and the work that was being delivered, seeing the improvement with students, was massive.
"In my own life, I tried to use the guidelines from the project for myself to talk about things more. My daughter was born premature and taking those guidelines and talking about how I was feeling, in the media, with my friends and family, really helped me through that period which was quite difficult for five or six months.
"I was playing football at the time as well and I was quite open about everything that was going on with my team-mates. That helped me.
"There's a lot of pressure on young people now, with social media, with what the future looks like. I've got kids myself. You want them to have the best and I'll certainly be working on the mental health side of it, trying to encourage them and keep them in a healthy mind.
"As for my mental health, at my age now, I'm enjoying my career. That's a big thing. I'm enjoying being around a Premier League club and playing games. I try not to think about the pressures and I just take everything in my stride. I don't really overthink things.
"As a young player, you may be a little fearful. You are thinking about what's going to happen in a game, what people are thinking and how they're going to react. I genuinely don't think about any of that anymore.
"Experience definitely plays a part but it's been a process. You get to a place where you feel good and you're out there with a clear mind, not really thinking about all that external noise. It's a nice place to be.
"I certainly try to look out for people's mental health more. As an older player now, I am conscious of trying to get around the group and speaking to people.
"In the dressing room and at training grounds now there's more talk about mental health, you keep an eye out if someone is feeling a bit down or if they are acting differently. There's more awareness around the subject which is exactly what you want to see."
