Simone Biles Shows the World How to Put Their Mental Health First

Go her!

Mental health is a rising concern that many of us worry about on a daily basis, it is also something that is sometimes hard to talk about and face. However, Simone Biles, an American Gymnast, shows the world how to put their mental health first and above all. It’s not something easy to do, so we had to write this article appreciating what she did. It’s a lesson for us to learn and implement in our lives, so scroll down to read more about what happened!

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Simon Biles made a very courages decision to withdraw from the gymnastics team during the Olympics in order to protect her mental health. Her sponsors applauded and supported her for this decision.

“We stand by Simone and support her well-being both in and out of competition,” Athleta (one of her sponsors) said. “Being the best also means knowing how to take care of yourself. We are inspired by her leadership today and are behind her every step of the way.”

Biles could still compete in other gymnastics competitions. She has a long list of achievements in gymnastics, including four gold medals and a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics. Since 2013, she has won five additional world championship all-around titles. And she’s only 24! Wow.

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Gymnastics is not very easy to compete in. The amount of work, efforts and the hours of practice that goes into it is unbelievable. “I just don’t trust myself as much as I used to,” Biles told reporters in Tokyo. “I’m a little bit more nervous when I do gymnastics. I feel like I’m also not having as much fun.”

She mentioned that she had a little case of “twisties” in one of her morning practices. The “twisties” are a puzzling occurrence in which a gymnast loses the ability to do a twisting move she had performed thousands of times before. Your body refuses to comply, and your mind loses track of your position in the air.

However, that isn’t the only reason, Biles admitted to having feeling tremendous pressure and feeling like she’s “carrying the weight of the world.”

“We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we’re human, too,” she said. “So, we have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

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She told Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “TODAY” broadcast after she withdrew, “Physically, I feel good, Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star of the Olympics isn’t an easy feat. So we’re just trying to take it one day at a time, and we’ll see.”

There also was another highly ranked tennis professional player, Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from Wimbledon to prioritize her mental health. Biles said Osaka inspired her and that she would advise people who are struggling to prioritize their own needs.

So, following Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from tennis events earlier this year to preserve her mental health, Biles’ forthright declaration has once again brought attention to the sometimes taboo subject of mental health in sports.

“Put mental health first, because if you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to,” she said. “So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor that you really are, rather than just battle through it.”

A reminder many of us need. Mental health is as important as your physical health, and should be taken very seriously. It’s not worth sacrificing your mental health for anything, no matter what. If you dont take care of yourself, how can you perform at your best.

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Dr. Leela R. Magavi, a psychiatrist who has worked with student-athletes and professional athletes, said that societal expectations from fans, the media, and others can make athletes feel as if “every single step that they take will be significantly scrutinized,” and that “this kind of pressure is so severe” that they struggle to focus on their daily activities.

So let’s remember that at the end of the day, all the athletes and celebrties of the world are also human. They feel the way we do and think the way we do. It really is not an easy job to keep up the image the world has of you and requires a lot of commitment and dedication. It has even been harder especially in the pandemic and with all the stress it came with.

So this indeed was a very heroic and brave move that Simone Biles did and we are so proud of her! It’s a lesson for all of us to follow as well. Always prioritize your mental health. If you’re struggling just remember she and many others were and are as well, so you’re not alone and can get out of whatever it is you’re dealing with. You just need to make the first hard step and everything else will follow easily.