Rhona Lloyd is a Scotland women’s rugby 50-capper, a try scorer, a team player and a role model.
Posting about her mental health late last week via Instagram cannot have been easy for the 28-year-old from Edinburgh who, having recently played for GB Sevens, now plays full-time with Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais in France.
However, by posting the message she showed all the girls, boys, and adults – that follow her career that it is okay to speak out about such matters and that it is good to talk to people and be honest about how you are feeling in and out of sporting settings.
The message from the 52-cap, 25-try winger read: “I’ve come back to Scotland for a couple weeks cause I’ve been having a tough wee time with my mental health for a while and I wanted to get in a better headspace ahead of everything coming up this year with Scotland and Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais.
“I felt like I’d got myself stuck in a negative spiral on and off the pitch and I needed a reset.
“Mental health can be a really taboo subject, but the support I’ve received from club and country has been incredible and made this period and decision so much easier.
“I’ve really gone back and forth about if I wanted to share this on social media but I think it’s important to talk about. It’s okay not to be okay.
“So, this is what life looks like right now – getting back into training in Edinburgh, finding my ‘why’ again and feeling very grateful for my wider team.”
Her words will inspire others and we all look forward to seeing Rhona Lloyd back fit, firing and, most importantly, feeling well when she is ready.
Rhona Lloyd is pictured after earning her 50th Scotland cap last year
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