Even top athletes can suffer panic attacks

| 15 Jan 2019

When we look at professional athletes, we tend to see them as having nerves of steel. That must be the reason why they are world class right? Their ability to keep their emotions in check and get the job done. So when we let the jitters get the better of us when we are going for a stretch goal or doing something new, we tend to be harsh on ourselves. Well, here's something comforting to know, even a top athlete can suffer from panic attacks.

For football fans, you would be familiar with this name: Gianluigi Buffon - widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.

His list of accolades include being the most capped player in the history of the Italy national team, the fourth-most capped footballer of all time, setting the world record fee for a goalkeeper of €52 million at the time of his transfer to Juventus (one of the top clubs in Italy), winning nine Serie A (Italy’s football league) titles and being a winner at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

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Currently playing for French Club Paris St-Germain, the 40-year-old recently revealed that he had suffered from depression and panic attacks during his early years playing for Juventus.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, he said that for a few months he felt like everything lost meaning. People only cared about him as a footballer and nobody cared about him as a person.  

His panic attack was so bad that he once missed a Juventus game because of it. He had to inform his goalkeeper coach before the match that he was in no state to play.

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Looking back now, he said that it was a turning point in his life. That if he had not gone through the experience, that cloud and that turmoil with other people, he may have never have got out of it.

It was a watershed moment between giving up and confronting insecurities that we all have, he said.

So the next time you feel the jitters, whether it is speaking in front of a crowd for the first time or meeting the biggest prospect in your career, take a deep breath, calm down, and remember that it is normal to feel nervous. Even some of the best athletes have felt vulnerable in their lives and succeeded anyway.

The 4th Asia Trusted Life Agents and Advisers Awards is now open for submissions. The Awards with an independently-audited judging process is organised by Asia Insurance Review and Asia Advisers Network, with co-organiser LIMRA and Strategic Partner AIA.

(Main photo credit: Gianluigi Buffon Facebook page)