How sports helped a trans man gain confidence, and the benefits for mental health
Sports were crucial for Emery Fung when he struggled with body dysmorphia. A sports psychologist explains just how far their benefits can go
Sport has always been a positive part of Emery Fung’s life.
The trans man played a lot of sports at the all-girls school he attended from the age of nine in the United Kingdom.
There were not many Chinese children in his corner of England, he recalls.
“Sport was a way to fit in,” Fung says. This sense of belonging, of being part of a team, proved vital for his mental health.
Fung, a Hong Kong resident, is a TEDx speaker and founder of Awkward Conversations, a platform that helps individuals and businesses navigate exactly that: awkward, delicate and sensitive conversations.
In many ways, understanding sport’s role in fitting in was helpful for Fung when he began to struggle with body dysmorphia. This mental health disorder develops when a person feels distressed over the way they look.
Never comfortable with his feminine shape, Fung hunched his back to hide it. This meant that he developed very rounded shoulders and poor muscle tone in his back, he says. Going to the gym to train has helped him build muscle and confidence, which in turn has improved his self-esteem and overall mental health.