My Story

Use the arrows or dots below to move through.

Photo: Sideline Photography

Chapter 1

My Story

My name is Emily Phelan. I am a 32-year-old female athlete living in London, and I play Ladies Gaelic Football.

Sport has always been a huge part of my life, but my journey with it has not been straightforward. I have struggled with anxiety and depression throughout my sporting career, and for a long time I did not have the language or the tools to understand what was happening in my own head.

I did not understand why pressure felt like too much sometimes. I did not understand why my confidence could swing so much. I just knew I loved the sport, but I was also struggling in it.

Photo: Photographer TBC

Chapter 2

A Difficult Phase

Number 18 is me on league final day. I remember feeling happy for my team, but I could not fully feel it for myself because I was so caught up in my own performance. I was not in a good place mentally, and that showed on the pitch.

What I understand now, looking back, is that it was not just performance anxiety. I was dealing with undiagnosed anxiety and depression at the time, and that naturally spilled over into my sport.

Photo: Martha Jordan

Chapter 3

What That Felt Like

Everything felt heavier than it should have. Not just games, but life in general. There were days I struggled to get out of bed, times I felt really low for no clear reason, and panic attacks I did not fully understand at the time.

My mind was constantly busy. I was overthinking, second-guessing myself, and never really fully present in the moment. Afterwards, I would replay everything in my head over and over, feeling disconnected from what had just happened.

Photo: Sideline Photography

Chapter 4

Hitting Rock Bottom

Eventually I hit rock bottom and went to my doctor. I was put on medication, and for the first time in years my head went quiet.

That was when I realised how loud it had been. The overthinking had started when I was a teenager, and I had carried it for so long that I thought it was normal. I just did not know.

Getting the right help was the turning point. It gave me space to think clearly, and from there I could finally start doing the work on the mental side of my sport and my life.

Photo: Martha Jordan

Chapter 5

Why This Platform Exists

None of that happened overnight. It took a lot of work, a lot of learning, and a lot of uncomfortable reflection on how I was thinking, feeling, and showing up in life and in sport.

Mind the Gael is the platform I wish I had when I was younger. The language, the tools, and the honest stories that would have helped me understand my own head much sooner.