Four Olympians Who Are Winning in Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy

Mar 11

A day in the life of an Olympic athlete may be different from most, but in the end, they’re all human. Recently, some of the world’s most famous athletes have voluntarily shared about their own personal mental health experiences. Let’s take a look at a few of their inspiring stories.

Naomi Osaka

As a 23-year-old professional tennis player, Naomi has been heavily involved in advocacy work for equality, racial justice, social change, and the empowerment of female athletes. Most recently though, this athlete took a stand during the French Open and spoke out about mental health challenges and declined to speak with reporters. Although she was fined $15,000 for not fulfilling media commitments, she continued to put her mental health first by taking a break from competitions before competing in the 2020 Olympics.

Shawn Johnson

When Shawn, an Olympic gymnast, and her husband Andrew suffered the miscarriage of their first child, they took the opportunity to not stay silent. They shared about their tragedy on Instagram to raise awareness about the heartbreak and feelings that go along with this devastating experience. Their hope for posting the video was to let people know that they are not alone and miscarriages are more prevalent than people realize. Since then, Shawn and Andrew have welcomed two “rainbow” babies.

Simone Biles

Everyone who watched the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games has heard about Simone‘s decision to not participate in one of the Olympic events. The Olympian stood up for herself by acknowledging that the pressure was too much, and she was not in the best place at the time. That decision drew a lot of attention and opened the door for continued conversation about the pressures of being an Olympic athlete and mental health issues in general. Many fellow athletes supported Simone and backed her decision. Simone also shed light on the stress COVID-19 pandemic had caused, especially since several people tested positive during the Olympic games.

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic athlete in history, has been candid about his struggles with depression. Like Simone Biles, Michael was once the face of the Olympics and experienced unique challenges, which he discussed in the 2020 documentary The Weight of Gold. The athlete also expressed that he had suicidal thoughts and struggled with substance abuse in the past. Michael is now a big advocate for mental health awareness and promotes the importance of therapy.

As you read stories of these athletes, we hope it helps you to realize that it’s important to take care of your mental health as much as physical health. If you would like to learn more or need support, please visit CannentaCenter.com or call 214-267-9556. We’re here for you.

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