Jordan Conroy experienced the high of competing in the Tokyo Olympics and in Dancing With The Stars and wasn't equipped for the low that followed.
Speed merchant Conroy was part of the first Ireland Sevens team to qualify for the Games in 2021 and, just over a year later, he stepped onto the small screen and made it to the last four of DWTS, the highly popular RTE programme, making it through to the last four.
"After the Olympics, doing Dancing With The Stars kind of opened my eyes that there's a lot more out there," said Conroy, still a central figure in the Sevens team that is favourite to qualify for the Paris Olympics at the European Games in Poland in the coming days.
READ MORE: Greg O'Shea reveals why he turned down offer to appear on Dancing with the Stars
"It was such a high moment for me - but after that I experienced such a massive dip.
"I was in a low and during it I was lost, I was in a dark, grey, muggy place. I had the rugby but I wasn't enjoying it and it just took a lot out of me.
"I talked to my doctor and he explained that it was natural, that it happens to athletes.
"It was the first time it had happened to me and I was relieved to hear that. The more I talked about it, the more it made it easier to understand.
"I try to talk to the right people to learn how to deal with these things if I am asked by other people. It was a real eye-opener.
"But as bad as the experience was, I'm glad it happened. I learned from it and I'm more willing to be open and learn now rather than blocking and deflecting things.
"It just kind of happened in life and sport together."
Conroy, 29, believes he has matured from his experience and is a better man for it. He likes to mentor young players now - something he never thought would happen - and public speaking is an area he is beginning to work in, with a view to perhaps a career in it beyond his playing days.
And he has a better understanding of what his former team-mate Greg O'Shea has suffered through in terms of his mental health struggles.
"I didn't understand at the time," Conroy admitted.
"He was in the limelight and it just takes so much energy - you're giving and giving and giving and then when you're on your own for a little bit, it's mad how drained you are of energy and no-one gives it back to you," said the Limerick man.
"So I really feel for him now, I understand what has happened and it happened to me on a smaller, more private scale because I suffered in relative silence, only a couple of people that knew me saw it.
"I'm usually a high energy, animated person but when I was down I was very quiet, I kind of imploded with my emotions rather than letting it out and that was just so toxic.
"Talking and letting it out is so much better. That was a learning curve for me. If that was two years ago, I would have kept it in, I would have acted out, I would have been a bad sport and wouldn't have let people know why. I'm glad that has changed."
Conroy recalls the nerves felt throughout the Ireland Sevens camp on that weekend in Monaco just over two years ago when they took the final spot on offer for Tokyo.
"My God, I was shaking, I was frantic," he said.
The last thing the players want is to go through that again next summer, so they are looking at qualification in Krakow as a must. The campaign starts tomorrow against hosts Poland and Italy tomorrow, and will probably come down to a showdown against GB.
But their mindset has changed.
Conroy said: "We've got two silver medals, we came third in the World Cup so that just goes to show how far we've come since 2019 to now. We're in contention with the other teams, and we're beating them.
"We've come so far that I'd say we would absolutely smash our older versions.
"I'm a lot calmer, a lot more assured in myself in terms of my ability and what I can offer. But it took a lot to get to that place.
"I would definitely feel I have progressed in that area and hopefully can bring that to the Olympics."
The Ireland Women's Sevens team have already qualified for Paris and Conroy believes that is a source of inspiration rather than something that adds further pressure on the men's shoulders.
"It's motivation, it kind of puts Irish Sevens on the map for us because we've been looked upon for so many years with people thinking we're not going to make it and saying we haven't won anything, show us what you can do.
"But after five, six, seven years it's great to be able to say what we've done for Irish rugby.
"The Olympics is the pinnacle of sport right there and I remember even Jamie Heaslip said it's better than being on the Lions squad, so having the girls there is brilliant, it's good for Irish women's rugby as well.
"Obviously it gives us motivation to be there with them as well, and having the two teams there would be amazing, absolutely amazing."
