How Damon Hill Re-Defined His Life’s Purpose After Depression…

By Tom Hasker, Associate Partner, Lighthouse International

When you have achieved everything that you wanted to in your career and then feel it is time to change, retire or open yourself up to new experiences, there can be some unexpected side effects that can happen to us emotionally and mentally.

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Damon Hill won the Formula 1 Driver’s World Championship in 1996 with the Williams F1 team. He is the son of Graham Hill, who was a very well respected and admired Formula 1 driver between 1958 and 1975 winning two Driver’s Championships. Damon Hill remains the only son of a world champion to win the title.

With all of this history and dedication to the sport of Formula 1 and racing, what happens when the son of a champion, himself a champion, stops racing? This short interview with BBC Radio 5 Live explains what Damon went through, including times when he was depressed and felt very lost…

“When you had been competing for 20 years like I had to get to this point, I now didn’t have anything to grab on to.”

– Damon Hill

This lack of direction, the feeling of uncertainty that comes with a big change in life is not uncommon. It can be felt for example in September or October, when students who graduated university in June or July, now don’t have a formal education institution ‘to go back to after the summer’. There is a feeling of loss and even possibly depression, due to not having the same routine and structure around them.

For Damon Hill, he sought advice from a therapist, and this action helped him make sense of his new role in life. He was able to found several companies, become the President of the British Racing Drivers Club, and be a part of the team that secured the British Grand Prix for the next 17 years. He now presents Formula 1 racing on the Sky F1 channel where he contributes his knowledge and wisdom of the sport, helping millions of people to enjoy it more. His story is one of finding meaning and purpose through his hardships like many legends.

Have you ever felt like you have lost direction in life?

If you are facing a challenge and feel like you are lacking direction in life, with your career or in your family then get in touch through our live chat here!

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