Sterling (26) has come back into form for Manchester City in the last few weeks, dazzling with goals and assists against Club Brugge, Everton, Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
Only Fernandinho has been in the first team at the Etihad Stadium for longer than Sterling, who is now only two goals away from joining the elite Premier League 100 club.
Before his recent up-turn in form, though, the England international winger had been enduring a lengthy difficult spell which saw him lose his place in the starting line-up to Jack Grealish.
In a new and exclusive interview with The Times this week, Raheem Sterling touched on some of the mental health struggles that contributed to some of his on-the-pitch problems and - more importantly - issues off the field.
"I went through a difficult period where I couldn’t stop the thoughts in my head," Sterling revealed.
"I couldn’t stop a certain negative feeling taking over. Everything I would normally do wasn’t working and I had to overcome it.”
According to the article, Sterling was talking specifically about the period before the European Championships, when his club form had dried up. The forward dazzled, as England reached the final, and was widely hailed as one of the players of the tournament.
“For the first time in my career I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked. I was feeling a lot of frustration and we had this massive tournament on the horizon. I had to do something to get into the zone for the national team."
Sterling continued, "And so I made a decision: when I get to the England camp, I’m going to take time for myself and try something new.”
That 'something new' was meditation, which Raheem Sterling says made a big difference to both his state of mind and physical condition.
Sterling went on to explain, "That first time I felt so fresh and nice about myself and then the next day it was even better so… I continued.”
“Meditation has improved my thinking but also my body conditioning,” he said.
“The more I do it, the better I feel".
Raheem Sterling will hope to be in the starting XI once again, when Manchester City travel to Watford on Saturday evening in a crucial Premier League clash at Vicarage Road.
You can follow us for live updates here: @City_Xtra
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December 04, 2021 at 05:53PM
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"I Went Through A Difficult Period" - Raheem Sterling Opens Up on Mental Health Challenges During 2020/21 Season - Sports Illustrated
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