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On 28 October 2023, ice hockey player Adam Johnson tragically passed away after an accident during the match between Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers.
We are sending our deepest condolences to Adam Johnson's family, friends and all of the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers teams and fans. Many people witnessed this traumatic event and have been impacted by it.
Taking Care of Yourself After Traumatic Events
Witnessing traumatic events can have a big impact on our wellbeing. You may experience upsetting memories, disturbed sleep, stress or anxiety, sadness, anger or feelings of guilt. You may also feel like your mind and body are on high alert all the time, for example feeling tense or jumpy.
You might be worried that there is something wrong with you because your mind and body are reacting in this way. However, all of these experiences are normal reactions to a traumatic event. For most people, the mind and body will settle down again in a few days or weeks.
In response to this event we facilitated two online wellbeing sessions attended by more than 600 ice hockey fans. The recording of the session below can help you to understand what’s happening and how to take care of yourself and others.
Resources to Help You Take Care of Yourself and Others
We also have downloadable resources available including factsheets, audio resources and resources for parents and children, you can find them here.
Going Back to Watch Ice Hockey
It is very understandable that we’ll feel anxious about going back to watch a match in future. However, this is one of the best things we can do to help our wellbeing in the long term, because it helps us to process difficult memories and to move on, rather than getting stuck.
By going back to the place where we were distressed or anxious, our mind and body can learn to feel safe again. We can see that the events we witnessed are in the past and things are now back to normal.
This can take a little time and we may need to be patient while our mind and body gradually become calmer. However, this process will start even on our first time back at the match and each time afterwards it will feel easier.
The video below will help you to think about going back to a match, how you can prepare for this and how you can look after yourself when you do.
It’s important to make your own decision about when you feel ready for this and to let others do this too.
The two exercises below can be really effective ways of calming the mind.