As worldwide excitement builds for the 2024 Olympics eyes will be set on Paris. This world uniting event gives us the opportunity to watch some of the strongest, fastest, and toughest athletes in the world do what they love to do. Their sport is their passion and they are competing at the very tippy top of their game. They are world renowned for their athletic abilities and the amount of hard work they have put into accomplishing their goals.
What can sometimes be forgotten is that they are also human beings. They get nervous. They sometimes don't feel like they have the energy to get out of bed and into the gym. They doubt their own abilities, regardless of the fact that the whole world celebrates them. These larger than life athletes can struggle with their mental health just like you, your child, or anybody else you know.
While there is still a long way to go with the stigma surrounding mental health, we have come a long way from how it was spoken about in the past. Our Olympians are speaking about their own mental health, and they are doing it on a world stage. A stage your child may just be watching.
To do our part in celebrating these athletes strength, both physically and mentally, we wanted to share the top 3 mental health lessons that can be learned from these Olympians. Share these with the children in your life as you watch the big games this summer, it is a great opportunity to bring up mental health in your house! Remind them that everyone has their own challenges, many of which we don't see - even people who seem to be at the top of their game.
1 . It takes strength to ask for help
Tara Davis-Woodhall is a 24 year old Olympian in Track and Field. She has been open about her battle with depression and her story is incredibly inspiring for any child who does too. Davis-Woodhall teaches us a valuable lesson about the strength it takes to ask for help, and the way that asking for help can totally transform your current situation.
"When I was at Georgia and Texas, I was in a really dark place mentally. I just didn’t want to be here anymore. I was hitting my lowest time in life and not leaving my room for a week and just being super sad. And I had a lot of people in my corner to help me go through that. I think that's when I realized that we can either continue to be sad in the bed all day, or we can go outside and enjoy a life that we only have one time to live and a life that you never know when it's gone. I honestly did not expect myself to make it to 24 or 25, and I turn 25 next month. I was in a really dark place."
"But I had the choice to become happy. You have the choice to be anyone you want in the world. And that's when I finally saw the light again." I saw that there is life out there to be lived.
"I have a psychologist had a therapist, which are two different people. My therapist, she allowed me to just spill the beans. I used to not talk about my health. I wouldn't talk about if I was happy or sad. And she was so patient with me. She wouldn't ever push my buttons. She genuinely just took it slow with me. And by that time, I was able to express my feelings. I was able to get things off my chest."
"I actually just spoke to my therapist at the beginning of the week. And she was like, 'Wow, Tara, do you remember when you wanted to quit track in 2020?' And I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I do.' And I actually made a pros and cons list of why I should quit track and why I should stay. And my cons obviously outweighed my pros."
I would have never guessed when sharing my story how many people have told me that they went through the same exact thing. Whether it be an athlete or a normal person. It's a human thing, and everyone goes through mental health. And for someone to put light on it and show that it's OK to be seen or be talked about or felt. That's when I feel like I have a purpose of using my voice. I have a purpose of using my experiences to help others."
2 . Monitor and limit content that makes you feel bad
While your child may not have the plethora of negative feedback that many Olympians receive on social media - there is still content out there that makes them feel bad. Whether it's a backhanded comment from a frenemy, doom scrolling on Tik Tok, or a Netflix documentary that makes them anxious - limiting negative and unsettling content is a great way to protect their mental health.
"I'm pretty mindful of how I consume social media. I like to post. I’m posting almost every day on my socials, but I like to put out the content and not consume too much of it, especially these days, and people have such close access to athletes. There's always some anxiety around it, and I think that's why I choose to handle social media and all the media outlets like I do. I don't like to read anything about myself or watch anything about myself. I really do keep it at arm's length, and maybe someday down the line I'll come back to it and read it. I think it's a little bit of an anxiety response, but it's also just protecting my mental health." said Olympian Gabby Thomas (Track and Field).
We applaud Thomas's efforts to protect herself from something she knows causes her harm. Social media can be toxic for many people and it is important to check in with your child and make sure that they are finding joy and connection out of how they use the internet, not hate and anxiety.
A great example of how social media can be a positive for someone comes from another Olympian, Mary Tucker (Shooting). "I think posting about mental health and saying, "I'm tired right now, and I'm taking a break," or, "This was a really hard time for me, and that's OK." It shows the younger generations that they don't have to go down that path. They can talk about it and be open."
"Some fans have negative reactions when athletes talk about mental health because they want to avoid it. But they also don't realize the toll that sports do take on people. From the outside, people say, 'Oh, these people just do some sport that doesn't really look that difficult on TV, but they get a lot of money and have a lot of sponsors and they seem all happy. We are people, not machines. We've got struggles like everyone else. And I think the community of sport would be a lot better if everyone was more accepting of that."
3 . Don't get discouraged - try again!
It's hard to think of the modern-day Olympic Games and not think of Simone Biles. Her name has become a synonym for strength, talent, and hard work. She is a global icon and has solidified herself in Olympic history.
She also very publicly has made clear that her mental health is just as important as her physical health. This was on the forefront in 2020 when Biles was competing in Tokyo. She struggled with what in the gymnastics world is called "the twisties". This caused Simone to take a back seat for the rest of the Tokyo Olympics and a 2 year break for her mental health.
Nobody was sure if Biles would be back on the mat in Paris but again she is teaching us an incredible lesson of perseverance. She noticed a challenge that she was having, prioritized her mental health and wellbeing, took a much deserved break, and ultimately didn't give up.
Her strength is so much more than her muscles and her agility. The mental strength it takes for her to get back out there is so admirable.
Children and adults across the world can learn from Bile's strength. She would not have been able to take on Paris this year without checking in with herself and making sure her mental health was where it needed to be. She is a real life American hero and we cannot wait to cheer her on this summer!
For even more great quotes and insight from players as they gear up for Paris check out this awesome article put out by the official NBC Olympics page!
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