Jason Quigley has again reiterated another powerful mental health message – ‘It’s ok not to be ok’.
Quigley recently retained his NABF middleweight belt with a unanimous decision win over Freddy Hernandez in Indio.
Having returned home to Donegal, the Golden Boy Promotions puncher returned to a topic that he’s passionate about: the dangers of online bullying, social media ‘popularity’ and general mental hearty,
“Just don’t be scared to talk,” Quigley said.
“Kids need to know that it’s ok not to be ok. It’s ok to go through hard times, have bad thoughts or think negative – but never let that get the better of you.
“Talk to your friends, talk to your family, your teachers, coaches, whoever. Once you talk, they might just laugh and reassure you not to worry.”
Quigley last year swapped Los Angeles for Sheffield, where he is now trained by Dominic Ingle.
The unbeaten Irish middleweight (15-0) has seen the dangers himself when he realised that life in Tinseltown ‘isn’t all glamour, sunshine and rainbows’.
And at his recent homecoming with his NABF strap, Quigley urged those who might be feeling the weight of the world on top of them to ‘stay strong’
He said: “I’m not here to be God or be Jesus, to to save the world. I’m here to give a wee bit of advice that I have learned through my career and what I would have liked from sports people that I look up to.
“If I had heard that it might have made life a bit easier for me. There were problems that I might have wen through and it might just help kids if I explain it.
“You have this social media and online bullying and you could be sitting at home one night with your mother and father away out, someone might send a message and it could just take the guts from you.
“It can make you feel very lonely and can make you feel worthless. I’m just saying: Don’t feel like that, it will pass. Stay strong and get through those hard moments and get to the next level.”
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