World Mental Health Day Special

0:01This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same. Take Messi, the most decorated player ever.

0:36Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with power boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Remember, goats only trust goats because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell. This episode is brought to you by Google Health. stop chasing someone else's definition of health what matters is what's healthy for you google health offers a new kind of coach built with gemini for effortless tracking sleep insights and holistic coaching tailored to you visit google store.com to learn more and start a new relationship with your health requires google account google health app internet and google health premium subscription features subject to change availability and results vary not intended for medical purposes works independently of gemini apps check responses for accuracy

1:35Hello everyone and welcome to Daily Brightness. We are not doing a Q &A episode this week because we turned our attention to something that is really important to both Millie and I, which is mental health. This is our special World Mental Health Day episode. So what is World Mental Health Day? It takes place every year on the 10th of October, and it's a reminder of the importance of good mental health and the need to prioritise and invest in good mental health. This year's theme is access to services, mental health in catastrophes and emergencies. The theme highlights the importance of people being able to protect their mental health in times of global instability.

2:12We wanted to touch on Young Minds wearing yellow for the Hello Yellow campaign. and Millie, you are an ambassador of Young Minds. So do you want to touch on a little bit about Young Minds and what they do and also the campaign? Yeah, definitely. Shout out to Young Minds first and foremost. Unbelievable people, unbelievable charity and the Hello Yellow campaign, I took part in it last year as well. It's on every single year and you just wear a piece of clothing item. It could be anything, a bobble. You could wear yellow lipstick for all you want, And whatever it is, just wear something yellow to represent mental health.

2:51But, you know, it's all about children and young people and kind of all standing together and showing that no one is ever alone with their mental health. And I think for me, something that I've learned is mental health is not just the bad days, it's the good days as well. And mental health is so important to look after yourself. When things are going good, it's easy to kind of get caught up in the highs and be like, oh, I'm fine, I'm fine. and then all of a sudden you're crashing down. And I think in society these days, there's so many young people and children that suffer with mental health. And I've heard so many comments like, oh, children don't know what mental health is.

3:24They're too young to understand mental health. And since having my nephews, they're so in tune. I don't know if you've noticed it with Orson, but they're so in tune with their feelings. So in tune. Orson is like at nursery, he learns all about how he's feeling and what he's feeling like today. Yeah, I think they're trying to teach them that a little bit more. So yeah, for anyone out there that please, please, please change your perception when you say that young people and children don't understand mental health and how it doesn't affect them. Like as a kid, what you see is what you learn. So if you're displaying things in front of children, they're going to learn off that and they're going to, you know, it could affect them.

4:02You know, you talk about trauma, that happens by what kids see. But the Hello Yellow. So yeah, please, please, please get involved. take part with thousands of schools, communities, and companies wearing yellow on this World Mental Health Day is to raise money, again, to show young people that they are not alone with their mental health. It's really, really important. And I think now more than ever, the world is a very, very tough place to be for anyone of any age, but especially children and young people growing up. Can they dress like this? Can they look like this? Can I be this? Can I be that?

4:33No. Am I going to be judged? Do I need to fit in with social media? Am I too skinny? do people think I'm overweight like there's so much judgment floating around it's such a hard place to to grow up in so yeah we want to keep showing that this day is super important um it's important every single day but the 10th is and the hello yellow is to highlight the importance of mental health it's not just that it matters on that day it matters every single day and yeah when I got the opportunity to be an ambassador for him I actually got to go into the headquarters in London and I got to witness the people at work and how it goes and not only do they support the young people but they support the families as well and direct them to different support systems and that's the thing with mental health it's not just that individual it's the people around that situation as well and how it can affect everyone and how you can influence the people that you're near so it's something that's super close to my heart the charity is is amazing and although we're not wearing yellow right now, you will be seeing pictures of us on social media wearing something yellow.

5:39So please get involved. Tag Daily Brightness, tag Young Minds. We'll tell you where to go after if you want to go and check out their socials and websites. And if you do need anything, please, please, please reach out because yeah, no one is alone ever. For now, we're going to head to a little break, but when we come back, myself and Rach are going to be talking about mental health from personal experiences. and yeah just having a little bit of a chat about it and and highlighting some of the important things that we've learned along the way and things that can be better in society really so we'll be back soon welcome back to the second part of our world mental health day episode um yeah like Millie said before the break we are going to discuss a few topics around mental health around things that experiences that we've had and yeah just a bit of more of an open chat really about how we feel about mental health and you've just touched on there about you know young minds and the work that you do and I think it's inspirational to me the work that you do with them and the work that they do it's it's something that yeah I'm really proud of you know take away from football like I'm really proud that that's something that you're a part of I'm proud of everything you do but that is one that is, it is, I'm really proud of you.

6:53Thanks, bestie. I think over the years, we probably have had really good avoidance strategies. So you and I both would just end up laughing something off or brushing under the carpet and not acknowledging the fact that we probably were struggling a lot more than we thought we were. I think because we were fortunate enough to have each other throughout the years, you know, we've kind of just survived and not thrived in some moments, I would say. And I think for me, mental health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health. Because what I think about it is the fact that it's largely invisible and yet debilitating at the same time.

7:38Because, you know, if you break your leg, you know, you're on crutches and your leg's in plaster, everyone's aware of that injury, right? If you're struggling mentally, you and I both know we can hide how we feel. You can mask. How many times have you wore a mask at training? How many times have you wore a mask? I've been doing it for the last two years. Yeah, and I think that that is something that you just learn to live with and you learn to just cope and you find methods that help you cope. I also think me and you have been in environments where we've had to do that as well, which is when I look back, it's so wrong.

8:17But in certain situations, we've had to. Do you know what I mean? Like you go on a football pitch, you can't show any weakness when you step over that white line or, you know, you don't want to let your teammates down. So you don't have a choice. Like you have to just keep moving. I've played games where I feel like my world's just crumbling down. Yeah, there's been days when we don't want to... In my head. Nothing to do with football. Nothing to do with football whatsoever. but I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders in the past in the game. And I remember it. I remember it visibly and you've got to show up.

8:49Yeah. And I remember coming off the game, going in the change rooms and just absolutely breaking down. Like I was at breaking point. We always text each other. We've had enough and we've had so many moments where you're the only person I say it to. I'm packing my bags. I'm going abroad. Do you want to come with me? We do that often. And people don't ever think that. and with us, with our characters as well, I think when you're a really bubbly person, like we then feel like it's expected of us, like we have to do it. We have to be the jokers in the room or people expect us to be bubbly every day.

9:23And the amount of times me and you have been at our lowest point and so drained, we've still been the life and soul of the room. Like that is the toughest thing to do like ever. Yeah, I absolutely agree. And I think obviously we can speak on sort of like pressures in sport, right? So what we go through on a daily basis. I think that it's really tough place. We've touched on it before on episodes, but I think being a professional athlete at the top of your game is really difficult. Yeah. Because you have performance expectations. You pressure the pressure you put on yourself, the pressure you get from the fans, from the media, from your teammates, from coaches.

10:04You're under a microscope, aren't you? You're under a microscope. 100%. And you are deemed as a footballer. You're not a person. You're an asset. You're a number. You're an object. You're an object. And I think that that, in the last few years, has been a lot more prevalent because I feel like we've gone through football in an era where it was always people first. Yeah. And now I think the game is growing, which is great, but as it grows and as it becomes more businesslike, Like there are environments that people really struggle in because you're now largely viewed as an object. You go to a game on a match day and fans don't see you as Millie Bright, the human.

10:46They see you as Millie Bright, as the Chelsea captain. They see me as Rachel Daly, the Aston Villa captain. And that's where I think we've probably put masks on a lot of the time. Yeah. But I think what is really, really important is creating an environment for athletes, not just footballers, for athletes, to feel psychological safety. And that is really, really tough in modern day sport, I think. I think people go through a lot more than what, A, what you let on, and B, what you can share, right? Like we're very guarded in like what we say and how we act and what we do. And like you say, we've got to have this mask on all the time.

11:26Yeah, there's very much a lack of trust. It's something that I think I'm quite passionate about because I think I'm very much the same as you. We're so for the people. So, like, I think, right, you walk in in the morning to a shop, coffee shop, and you say, morning, how are you? But are people doing that for you every day? And I think for me and for you is if people, we're very much driven off energy, aren't we? So if people are giving that energy to us, we're always like, what have we done wrong? Why have they not said hello to us? or, you know, and I think the smallest thing that you do can make somebody's day amazing.

12:06You can make it or break it. And I had conversations around this in the last couple of weeks and the tiniest little thing that someone could do for me, I could wake up and feel so heavy and so like, I can't get through this day, I'm struggling, I'm struggling. And then I could go to training, say, and someone brings me a coffee or somebody texts me and says something nice or, you know, and it's something that can be so small, but you can change somebody's whole outcome of their day. And I think in football and sport and stuff, it's not as easy, is it? You're in a high-pressure environment all the time and the people-first mindset sometimes gets lost.

12:47Yeah, I don't think in certain situations it exists and I think, one, that's why it's hidden. Two, I don't think people always feel it's a safe space enough to say it and three, it's judgment. like for me there's there's two big things in sport that i've experienced as an athlete and the first one is is becoming more and more of a thing which i'm finding it harder and harder to deal with and harder and harder to to tolerate for example i can't remember which game it was i think it was against you guys we just finished the game i had five minutes five minutes with my family after the game before i had a warning in our text in our group um the operations lady text you got to be on the coach by this time so by this point i've got i've got a 10 minute warning i was still butt naked in the changing room just got out the shower i'm thinking shit i've not seen my mom and my dad and my gran and my gran just had a bit of a health scare recently which no one would know and nor do i have to publicize that i don't have to send it out to the world for you to understand why i want to spend five minutes with my gran and mom and my dad this is another thing that really gets to me is unless we explain everything that's going on in our lives people don't judge but I don't have to tell anyone that that's a private situation but now I feel like I have to say it to for people to understand why it rubs me up the wrong way so by this point 10 minute warning butt naked quickly quickly getting ready getting ready like by this point I haven't got my protein shake but I'm thinking shit I need to see my mum my dad and my gran like I have to see him like I have to I don't know when the next time I'll see him I live miles away it's not possible so I go out by the time I get out to the coach I've got I've got five minutes five minutes before I have to be on that bus and we're leaving back to London.

14:23And my dad had got loads of stuff in the boot for me. So I'll walk over to his car, bearing in mind I'd already done the signatures in the stadium. And yes, there's fans outside the coaches. And trust me, me and Rachel are the same. If I could sign every single person's item and I could get a picture with every little girl and boy and everyone that wanted one, I would. I normally spend 45 minutes there. And now we have a new rule where players have 10, 15 minutes with fans and then we get dragged away because we have to go and do recovery, get our showers, get home, travel back, and then we're training the next day.

14:56So anyway, I get to the car. There's loads of people shouting, shouting. I put my hand up. I said, sorry, guys, I'm just having five minutes with my family. On my way back, bearing in mind, I've got massive boxes in my hand. My mum and dad are carrying everything. You can see that I'm with my family. I have this one fan. Oh, you're just going to ignore a seven-year-old like that? So I said, excuse me? I said, don't make me out to be that player. I said, please don't disrespect me like that. I said, I have five minutes with my family. Five minutes, that's it. That's all I get. Like five minutes.

15:28And you know me better than anyone. I don't take any time with my family for granted. And if me putting my family above any fan is a crime, then lock me up, arrest me now, arrest me 20 times over. I'll do life. I do not care. Nothing is more important than my family in that moment. And it's just a reminder for people out there, whether you're a fan, whether you watch on TV, whether you're a journalist, like, I don't care who you are. Like, please, please remember that we're humans and we value time with our people. And by me having that five minutes with my mum and dad and my gran, that allowed me to go back and be in a great place mentally.

16:08Yeah. And I think that's, you know what I mean? I think that's what I mean by people first. Like, but it's becoming more and more of a problem. like the amount of that's three occasions now where I've had abuse from fans for not signing when I've been with family and I'm like that's it's not respected at all like and we always say about stop judging you don't know what's going on in my life like you don't know what my nan's been through recently and we've been through as a family like you have no idea nor do I need to put that on Instagram or just a heads up guys like if I'm rushing after the game and I'm what five minutes with my family like I'm not being disrespectful like as players like this is what I mean by being invisible So in that moment, right, in that moment, you're not Millie Bright, human, spending time with her family, dealing with an awful situation in your family for five minutes.

16:55You are Millie Bright, the Chelsea captain, and you must do as I say. I'm owed a shirt signing. And just to have that, like, hurled across at me, like, are you really going to be more a seven-year-old like that? Because it's not like that also, and that's what people need to understand, is that just that statement there will hurt you because you'll think, not only will you get on that bus irritated by the fact that somebody's tried to take you away from your family in that moment but secondly you'll be disappointed that you know you've left that fan disappointing because that's yeah and that they now think that of me and you've yelled that for all the other fans to see and that's why i turned around and i said something because i said i'm not ignoring nobody but my family and my priority in this situation and that goes on to my next point with with journalists and obviously what we've what we've seen recently and uh the awful news about Matt and what everyone's been experiencing.

17:45I can't tell you how much my heart hurt seeing the headlines and seeing, like, as journalists, please, please, please stop using people's personal situations as an article, clickbait article. I don't care if it's your job. You're still a human being. You still have a level of respect and, like, just common sense that you think that his family want to read headlines of that. Like we talk about mental health. Do you know what that's doing to them, to that family? Do you know what it's doing to the people that knew Matt? Do you know what that does to kids reading that, whether you knew him or not, seeing that sort of headline and showing what society is like and what happens in the world?

18:31I think it's disgusting. I think it's wrong. I think all the journalists that have done it should be embarrassed and should apologize to his family and friends. That's exactly my point about being in the public eye and being in professional sport. Because when I lost my dad, if that was blasted in the newspapers, I would be beside myself more so than what I was, more so than ever. Because his children go to school. Their friends will see these articles. It will be a talking point. now if you're a 13 14 year old kid walking down a corridor and someone someone has something to say like think about it please because i would be i i felt the same as you like it there's no thought process and i hate when people say oh but you're in the public eye it's something that you have to deal with no it isn't no it isn't goes exactly against like everything that we stand for because Because Joe Bloggs wouldn't have that article in the newspaper.

19:31And, yeah, I could go on about this for a long, long time, but I think that something so small can make someone, but something so small can absolutely destroy them. And people need to be a lot more mindful of how they treat people. How about you do an article that's going to make a difference? Do an article that's going to influence people. Like, be a better, you know what, go to bed that night knowing that you can put your head on your pillow and go to sleep knowing, do you know what shit I've made a difference today or are you going to go to bed and think God what have I done to his family like what have I put people in you're not even thinking and there's no erasing that like you and I both know once something's out in the media it's out in the media it's disgusting honestly it should be embarrassed it destroys lives good energy in good energy out

20:22storm zero sugar 200 milligrams of caffeine and immunity support. Storm, energy for life. Hey, it's Bill from the Bill Simmons podcast. FIFA World Cup 26 fans, listen up. As the official beer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 26, Michelob Ultra is giving away$1 million worth of FIFA World Cup 26 tickets and prizes. Enter now at Michelob Ultra.com slash superior access slash FIFA World Cup 26. Michelob Ultra FIFA World Cup 26, superior access, no purchase necessary. Open U.S. Residence 21 Plus begins on December 1st, 2025, ends on July 31st, 2026, multiple entry periods. Visit www.miclobaltra.com slash superior access slash FIFA World Cup 2-6 for free entry, entry deadlines, prizes, and details.

21:23eczema. Also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. EBCLIS can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to EBCLIS. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with EBCLIS. Before starting EBCLIS, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Paid partnership with Lilly. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epclus and visit epclus.com or call 1-800-LILLY-RX or 1-800-545-5979.

21:59Like facts, like we have all been a part of this world where we've lost people through damaged mental health. And it's just, just please just think, think before you speak, think before you do, think before you act. and just think about what how you would perceive that behavior or you know it's the same as like i said to you mill in the morning if i say morning mill like how are you how are you like have you had a good day like tell me you know did you sleep well like something like that engages you and it instantly makes you feel better if i just went all right i didn't make a point to say good morning or i didn't say are you okay like there's something so small and it goes into my point of how we as people support each other and our friends and our family and our teammates if they're going through tough times number one thing for me right is one be kind because that is something that you cost nothing cost nothing it costs nothing to just be kind and if you're not going to be kind don't expect everyone else to be kind to you like it can't be double standards i think my number one thing is just kindness like no judging stop judging it's a free tool to make somebody feel so much better check-in is another one of mine like why we do our podcast and we check in with each other because it's important because I know for a fact if I've not spoken to you for a week say I didn't speak to you since the previous podcast episode you would be able to know straight away by asking me how I am even if I'm saying oh I'm all right Mil you'd know straight away that something's wrong and you'll pick up these traits of people when you do check in when you do ask them how they are because again it's invisible we could do it with a smile on our face I could be struggling with everything going on right now but you would never know you've been through a hell of a lot and and this summer was a really hard you know I know you won't mind me saying it was a hell of a hell of a tough time for you but you showed up every single day with a smile on your face and got through it.

24:05But again, we're just coping. And I think that that's where it needs to be. The awareness needs to be raised on that. There needs to be support systems. You know, you need to have people. You need to listen to people. You need to encourage people to speak up. Just pay attention as well. Exactly. Pay attention to people. Acknowledge people. Body language, like tone. And for me, like going off your point, by checking in, you'll start to learn, like, do you really know your friends? Do you really know? because I can count on one hand, this is bad, one hand how many people actually genuinely know me as a person and would be able to check in and notice if something was wrong.

24:42In fact, I dare say there's maybe less than five that would check in with me before something's wrong. Now, I know a lot of the people, but that to me is, it's really sad because I think as well as people that we are, We are the type of people that will say, oh, you seem quiet today. Are you okay? You know, and that there alone, if somebody did that to me on a day that I was feeling quiet or feeling down, I'm like, you've acknowledged me today. You're looking at me and you're seeing me. Yeah. And you're aware that something might slightly be off. I do think as you get older, you really start to realise, like, who's in your circle.

25:27your circle gets smaller and smaller and if if you're currently experiencing yeah mine's you no if you're if you're out there and as you're getting older you find that your circle's getting smaller and smaller please don't think that it's abnormal because it is completely normal and i think it's you know what you start to prioritize where you put your energy who you put your energy into and not because and you know what that that's something for me that i've i've really had to learn and I felt super guilty, but I had to start taking my time away from people that would been detrimental to my mental health and my life.

26:01And I had to start putting more into the people that were influencing me in a good way. And for ages, I felt guilt and guilt. And I was telling my counselor that I'm really struggling with this feeling of guilt. Like, I don't think I've got enough time for everyone. She says, did I have a positive influence on your life? I was like, well, actually, no, they made me really sad on this or that, that, that. And I had to really start protecting my energy and protecting me. And it is, it is okay to be selfish when it comes to your health. Like it is so okay to do that. But I think off of that, it's probably good for us to say how we actually cope.

26:32Like me and Rach have spoke before about journaling. For me, journaling is the biggest tool for me and the best tool. I know we're the same. We feel guilty when we put our problems on people or we offload on people. Cause then we feel like we're just passing, I'm passing my shit to Rach. And I'm like, well, that's not fair. She's got her own it so journaling for me is a way for me to get it all out process it as well and not be emotional or be emotional while I'm doing it and then I don't feel like I've put it on anyone so for me journaling is like a massive way and I think it's super important for you all to find what what works for you but yeah because what works for me doesn't work for you like it's not one size fits all and I I think, yeah, journaling is a tool that we've both used.

27:14And I think it's a great way to get your thoughts and your feelings down again, not put it on people. But I've said this before. I mean, I've said it to you, but I think I've touched on it on the podcast before. I do like DIY or I do stuff around the house. And it just calms my mind. It just like grounds me a little bit and gives me like that moment of quiet or I like to go for a dog walk. and it's like things that you have learned yourself over the years that keep you calm and keep you calm, but get your energy back up again, like you've filled your batteries. But anyway, I think we could talk about this for a long time because it's a topic that I think we're both...

27:50We could. We're both really, you know... But everyone just do better, be better, checking on your people. People first, always. Yeah, just know, and please be mindful if you're out there and you're a journalist or you're a fan or you're supporting someone that is in the spotlight, Like, just remember that they do have hearts and they do have feelings and they do have emotions and they do have responsibilities and they do have families and they are okay to say, I need time with families or whatever it is. Or do you know what? If they didn't sign something on that one particular day, maybe they were having a bad day.

28:24Maybe they were emotional. Maybe they were sad. Maybe they didn't want to be sad in front of people. So just please zoom out, look past yourselves, think of the bigger picture. This is what I do when I feel like I'm a bit... Rachel Doodles. And if you've not noticed, she's actually been doing this on every single episode. I have about 50 sheets of these that I just do random stuff on, but it helps me. It keeps my mind calm. Exactly. That's fine. But anyway, we could talk about this for a long, long time. So Millie, over to you. We could. Yeah, just wanted to shout out to Young Minds again. Please head over to their Instagram, Young Minds.

28:59You can also go over to their website, www.youngminds.org.uk. And yeah, if you need anything, please keep speaking up to anyone out there. And yeah, we're always here for your daily brightness. We love you all. And yeah, thank you for checking in. We hope you enjoyed this episode on mental health. Look after yourself in the good times, just as much as the bad times. Mental health is not an occasion. It's an everyday part of our lives. So thank you for listening. And we will see you very, very soon. Love you all. Take care, everyone.

29:53We'll be right back.