“I think the intensity of football and the very real cost of failure is a real factor these days, particularly in the Premier League,” she told Stephen Milton. “I feel the very nature of sport leads people to take less seriously the effects that it has on those charged with operating within the game… at big clubs and smaller clubs.
“There is support that’s available, but mental health can disguise itself very well. Stress can affect people in very different ways – sometimes everything’s great in work and rubbish at home, or great at home and rubbish at work. Most people have to deal with these problems in life and these things are nothing new, but you do feel that in tough times the intensity is greater.”
And Karren, whose full and exclusive interview can be read in the February 2012 issue of Business Matters, revealed, “Personally, I’m not a very stressed person – I’m doing something that I love and I enjoy, but pressure can manifest itself. I manage it by exercising, relaxing, and taking some ‘me time’. I think it’s important for everyone to do that.
