When Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics in 2020, the initial response from a lot of correspondents and pundits was that she was a “loser” and a “quitter”.
Despite being one of the most talented gymnasts of all time, people weren’t sure what to make of her prioritizing her mental health over her performance.
And I think I know why. As someone who’s worked in the sports industry for decades, I’ve found that there isn’t a lot of emphasis on the importance of mental health.
Far too often, athletes train day in and day out with one thing on their mind - winning.
While goal-setting and performing well are important ( I talk more about that here), always remember your mental health is of equal importance, if not more.
In Simone’s case, mental health could have meant the difference between life and death. In advanced gymnastics, one wrong move could potentially be lethal.
She recognized that the errors she was making weren’t from lack of skill. They were connected to everything else that was going on in her life. Essentially, her brain was so overloaded that it couldn’t communicate with her body properly anymore.
And making that mind-body connection should not be taken for granted.
Flashing back to the Olympic teams as recently as the 80s and 90s, athletes were doing the vault with broken ankles. These were all young teenagers whose bodies were basically destroyed because they were over-exercising and not taking care of themselves, physically or mentally.
And that’s because in the Olympics, generally speaking, performance has always been prioritized over their innermost thoughts and feelings.
But Simone changed the story.
Her ability to pull out and deal with all of the backlash actually opened up an entire conversation around the connection between mental health, therapy, and sports, something that has been long overdue.
What she reintroduced to the world is that it’s not always about “pushing through” the pain or the stress; sometimes you need to take a break and look at your whole life holistically, not just what you’re doing in the gym or the field.
Inside CoachNow, you can journal and document your practice, thoughts, and feelings to make sure that you’re not only improving technically but keeping tabs on your mental health as well.
Without feeling well mentally, your technical skills are useless.
Here’s some ways to start protecting your mental health and avoid burnout:
-Listen to your body
-Journal often throughout your training process
-Ask for help when you need it
Don’t get me wrong, of course, technical pieces are important to your training, that’s why we’re here for you.
But don’t forget about the mental side; physicality only goes so far as to separate the good from the great.
Ultimately, there’s nothing that will make you a stronger athlete than admitting when you need to take a step back.
I’d love to hear from you: How has mental health played a role in your journey as an athlete? Do you have any other tips to help fellow athletes prioritize the mental side of their training?
Despite being one of the most talented gymnasts of all time, people weren’t sure what to make of her prioritizing her mental health over her performance.
And I think I know why. As someone who’s worked in the sports industry for decades, I’ve found that there isn’t a lot of emphasis on the importance of mental health.
Far too often, athletes train day in and day out with one thing on their mind - winning.
While goal-setting and performing well are important ( I talk more about that here), always remember your mental health is of equal importance, if not more.
In Simone’s case, mental health could have meant the difference between life and death. In advanced gymnastics, one wrong move could potentially be lethal.
She recognized that the errors she was making weren’t from lack of skill. They were connected to everything else that was going on in her life. Essentially, her brain was so overloaded that it couldn’t communicate with her body properly anymore.
And making that mind-body connection should not be taken for granted.
Flashing back to the Olympic teams as recently as the 80s and 90s, athletes were doing the vault with broken ankles. These were all young teenagers whose bodies were basically destroyed because they were over-exercising and not taking care of themselves, physically or mentally.
And that’s because in the Olympics, generally speaking, performance has always been prioritized over their innermost thoughts and feelings.
But Simone changed the story.
Her ability to pull out and deal with all of the backlash actually opened up an entire conversation around the connection between mental health, therapy, and sports, something that has been long overdue.
What she reintroduced to the world is that it’s not always about “pushing through” the pain or the stress; sometimes you need to take a break and look at your whole life holistically, not just what you’re doing in the gym or the field.
Inside CoachNow, you can journal and document your practice, thoughts, and feelings to make sure that you’re not only improving technically but keeping tabs on your mental health as well.
Without feeling well mentally, your technical skills are useless.
Here’s some ways to start protecting your mental health and avoid burnout:
-Listen to your body
-Journal often throughout your training process
-Ask for help when you need it
Don’t get me wrong, of course, technical pieces are important to your training, that’s why we’re here for you.
But don’t forget about the mental side; physicality only goes so far as to separate the good from the great.
Ultimately, there’s nothing that will make you a stronger athlete than admitting when you need to take a step back.
I’d love to hear from you: How has mental health played a role in your journey as an athlete? Do you have any other tips to help fellow athletes prioritize the mental side of their training?