“Had Depression Since I Was a Kid”: How NHRA Legend John Force Beat Mental Struggles in Unlikely Manner
With sports being played at the highest level amid much competition, the mental health of players can sometimes take a hit. Over the years, we have seen many sporting superstars opening up about their mental health struggles. From Simone Biles to Naomi Osaka talking about their mental health challenges, we have seen it all. Similarly, the case of the NHRA legend, John Force, is no different. Earlier this week, the 75-year-old revealed how he overcame his bouts of depression.
from depression and how he managed to overcome it.
Earlier this year, the NHRA legend suffered a major accident in Virginia. Subsequently, he was hospitalized and underwent intense rehabilitation. However, the procedure eventually affected his mental health and he slipped into depression. However, he was able to overcome these trying times with the help of his gym routine.
Talking about this episode, Force revealed, “You live in the gym, and I do. Since my crash, I go to the, I go to the gym, you know, my wife will say you’ve been 5 days in a row you’re going to wear yourself out. I go there number one for depression I fight depression, okay I read, I never read his book, but I read all about Robbie Williams when that little problem thing went down cuz that kind of stuff worries me because I’ve had depression since I was a kid. Wow, you know, what I’m saying and I fight it every day but I get up and if I get up in the morning and I go something’s wrong the sky is falling you know, and I run straight to the gym.”
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time that Force has revealed about his depression battle. As he contemplated retirement earlier this year, the NHRA veteran talked about his saddening condition.
John Force went to bed sick every time
At 75, Force was feeling that he was racing against time in his career. With the best years behind him, he was mulling about retiring from the sport. Moreover, during an interview, he made a shocking revelation about his health condition which left his fans concerned.
Force said, “I go to bed sick every night, I get depression. Me and my wife talk about it all the time. Why am I stressed? Because I dream that I won’t have a sponsor or I won’t be driving. I dream that and then I wake up sick. Once I get in the race car, I’m home. That’s when the stomach aches go away until you lose and (have to) come back. The hard part is thinking you’re gonna have to give it up. And you’re gonna have to, sooner or later. You just can’t go until you fall in the dirt.”
Despite his depression battle and suffering a near-fatal accident, the NHRA legend isn’t ready to retire. He returned to the drag racing scene at the Ford Performance Nationals last month. It is incredible to see Force wanting to continue at this age even after suffering numerous setbacks.
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