Professional wrestlers from around the world have come together to raise awareness for mental health with the the “Tag Me In” initiative, which launched in October 2021. The goal of “Tag Me In” is to normalize a conversation about mental health, rid the mental health stigma and reiterate that those affected are never alone.
People in and around the professional wrestling/sports entertainment business have been sharing more and more about their mental health in recent years. Still, the community has witnessed performers tragically lose their lives after publicly suffering from mental illness.
The industry has mirrored our culture overall as discussions about mental illness are much more commonplace than even a few years ago.
“Tag Me In” hits home with me in a lot of ways. I’ve seen mental illness first-hand in the wrestling arena, in my circle of friends, in my family and in my own mirror.
In my own struggle with mental illness, I seem to wait until the very last minute to make the tag, which isn’t ideal. A great tag team uses frequent tags to overcome their foes. Unfortunately, in a majority of tag matches, one of the good guys usually gets caught by the bad guys and takes a beating for a while before making the tag.
I’m that guy. I’m Ricky Morton. If you don’t understand that reference, Morton is one-half of hall of fame tag team Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. He is known for being that good guy who takes a tremendous butt kicking until finally breaking away from the bad guys, rolling toward his corner and making the tag to his partner, who then comes in and clears house of the bad guys while his partner can catch his breath and recover.
I’m thankful that I have some really good tag team partners. I do my best to fight off everything on my own, but I know when I finally need to do my Morton roll and make that hot tag, my partners are there waiting, holding the tag rope and reaching out to make that tag.
“Tag Me In” needs to be a constant thought, but it is highlighted more this week as a part of Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW).
This year’s MIAW is centered around the theme “What I Wish I Had Known.” It will focus on the power of lived experience. Each day throughout the week, the National Alliance on Mental Illness will be elevating the voices of people with lived experience to talk about the components of their recovery where they learned something that could have helped them sooner. The topics include: What I Wish I’d Known About…
- Monday Oct. 3: Stigma
- Tuesday Oct. 4: Medication [National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding]
- Wednesday Oct. 5: Therapy
- Thursday Oct. 6: Disclosing [National Depression Screening Day]
- Friday Oct. 7: Caregiving
I know how difficult it can be for anyone to address mind and mood on their own, and i have firsthand experience about how crucial it is to know you’re not facing life’s challenges alone. I promise you that you’re not alone.
If you’re reading this, and you don’t think you have someone to reach out to, you do. I’m standing on the corner, holding the tag rope and calling for the tag. You’re within inches of a tag. Just reach out and slap my hand. I’ll enter the match like a house of fire, but catch your breath and recover, because I’ll need to tag again soon. Frequent tags are how we win the match.
