Mental Health: Loud and Clear at the Olympics

                 As many people throughout the world, I have been watching the Paris Olympics. I enjoy sports so this is great opportunity to get my fill. My favorite sport is women’s basketball. I have enjoyed watching all the basketball teams compete while rooting for the American team to win another gold medal.

                  What has been even better than watching the best athletes in the world compete is listening to these amazing athletes speak out about mental health.  Many of them are upfront about how mental health impacts them. This is refreshing. I don’t think it is new. Athletes have been speaking up for a few years. I think the world is ready to listen now. 

                  These athletes have tremendous pressure placed upon them. They must be at their best both physically and mentally. Some have mentioned talking to their psychologists. They have stressed the importance of therapy in not just their training, but in their lives. 

Simone Biles stepped out of the last Olympics to tend to her mental health. During this Olympics the success of doing that has been apparent as she stands with multiple medals around her neck. Biles recently said, “We have to protect our minds and our bodies rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.” She understands that our minds are just as important as our bodies. 

                  Then there is Noah Lyles. He won gold in the men’s 100m. He is now the world’s fastest man. Here is a quote from a social media post he made after he won the gold medal: “I have asthma, allergies, ADD, anxiety, and depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!” Here is a man who lives with depression as well as other illnesses, but does not let that stop him. There is a lesson for all of us in that. Why not us? It is easy to let depression rule our lives. I am guilty of it. I admit that I have missed out on a lot in my life because of my depression. This young man is showing us that we can still achieve our dreams even if we live with depression. It doesn’t matter what that dream is. We need to ask ourselves, why not me? 

                  There are days when I think that I should let go of my hopes of writing two new books this year. Those mornings when the darkness of depression is clouding over me, I think that I don’t have it in me to write the books I want to write. Some days I am guilty of letting the depression be an excuse for not writing. But Lyles is right. Why not me? Depression doesn’t have to stop me. Why can’t I write both books?

                  So many of the athletes we are watching during these Olympics have overcome adversity to achieve their dreams. Many of them live with mental health issues. Several have been brave enough to share their stories with us. I am grateful to hear mental health emerging on the world stage. I know that there are people watching who are saying “why not me?”. They are seeing these athletes succeeding despite mental health issues. We are all seeing people who understand that it is okay to talk about mental health. Basketball player LeBron James said, “Mental health is something that we’ve got to continue to work on, and we can’t be afraid to talk about.” I hope comments like this encourages more dialogue. I hope that it makes it easier for people in need to reach out for help. These athletes are destigmatizing mental health. For that they deserve gold medals. 

                  Track athlete, Gabby Thomas stated, "I don't know if I'm thinking critically about mental health constantly, but I definitely am taking steps to make sure that my mental health is in a good place." We can learn from her. We don’t have to think about mental health constantly to do something about it. We can all take steps to make sure our mental health is in a good place. By talking about mental health, we create safe spaces for others to talk about it. That’s what we need. We need to normalize mental health. Many Olympians are doing just that. They recognize that as they train their bodies, they must also train their minds. That same idea applies to the rest of us. We need to take our mental health as seriously as our physical health. 

                  US Olympic Rugby medalist Ilona Maher said, "For me, it's just like showing how human we are. And I do that not only through talking about mental health and the sad days, but also being authentic. That can really resonate and just show our relatability and humanity.” When it comes to mental health, we can all relate to what these athletes are saying. We can all take mental health seriously and make it a point to take care of our minds just as much as our bodies. 

                  Struggling with mental health is a human issue. We will all face it in some way during our lives. Some of us will find the struggle harder, but we are not alone. Let’s learn from these amazing athletes and reach out for help when we need it and normalize discussing mental health.