Mental Health And The Olympics: What Athletes Have To Share About Mental Wellness
The 2024 Olympics have been long awaited as the first Olympic Games since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Media coverage of the events is currently at a high, and many athletes are speaking up about the impact of the Games and athletics on mental wellness. Reading the stories of these athletes can be a step toward reducing stigma in the athletic community and worldwide, offering insights into the bravery of speaking up when you’re struggling. One way to seek support if you’re experiencing mental health challenges may be to attend therapy in person or online.
The 2024 Olympics: An overview
The 2024 Olympic Games are taking place in Paris, France, and this competition has a significant history that dates back to ancient times. The Olympics were inspired by athletic competitions that occurred in ancient Greece. They were recreated and labeled as “the Olympics” in the 19th century. The events were opened to professional athletes in the 1980s but were previously open to athletes of any skill level.
There are strict criteria regarding which athletes are chosen for each country’s team, and 184 countries are competing in the 2024 games, including countries like China, Australia, the USA, and Canada, among many others.
The Paris Olympics constitute the summer portion of the Olympics. The Winter Games will take place from February 6th to 22nd in 2026. The summer sports that qualified for the Olympics in 2024 include the following:
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Archery
- Swimming
- Badminton
- Breaking
- Boxing
- Soccer
- Sailing
- BMX (biking)
- Shooting
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Equestrian
- Skateboarding
- Track cycling
Breaking is a new sport in the Olympics and has been controversial since its addition. In the face of this backlash, more athletes are speaking up about mental health.
Elite athletics and mental health
According to research, between 5% and 35% of elite athletes live with mental health disorders. However, it can sometimes be frowned upon to talk about mental health challenges as an athlete.
Being unable to talk about mental health in athletics can lead athletes to suppress their emotions, avoid seeking mental healthcare for fear of losing their positions, and avoid speaking about mental health to their teammates, coaches, or loved ones.
Studies suggest that rates of suicide in athletes have doubled in the past 20 years. This statistic can highlight the importance of speaking up about mental health, which some Olympic athletes have started to do in hopes of encouraging others to seek the mental health care they deserve.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Support is available 24/7.
What Olympic athletes have shared about mental health
Many Olympic athletes have spoken about their own struggles with mental illness. Below are some of these athletes and their experiences navigating mental health challenges while training and competing.
Rayssa Leal
Rayssa Leal, an Olympic skateboarder from Brazil, has spoken up about her first competition in the Olympics and how skating has helped her cope with mental health struggles. Rayssa explained how worry and anxiety led her to struggle with competitions. She started seeing a sports psychologist to cope with these challenges. Since seeing her therapist for over a year, Rayssa says she has become more confident in her ability to succeed and show people from her country and worldwide that you can still compete while valuing your mental wellness.
Simone Biles
Simone has been open about preparing for the NBCU Paris Olympics in 2024. She states that she sees a therapist before her competitions and explores whether she feels well enough to compete.
Simone faced significant backlash after she decided to leave the 2020 Olympics, but her career has only grown since then. In 2024, she won gold and posted a photo of the USA gymnastics team on her Instagram, captioning it, “lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions,” to show that despite the people who label her lazy, she continues to succeed in her career by prioritizing her mental health.
Noah Lyles
Noah Lyles is a gold-winning Olympic sprinter who has spoken about his struggles with various mental health disorders, for which he sees a therapist. After his win in the 100-meter race in Paris, Lyles posted, “I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define who you can become. Why not you?” His inspiring message can show that anyone may achieve their goals.
Gabby Thomas
Gabby Thomas is a track and field athlete who won silver and bronze medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Although she does not live with a mental health condition, Gabby still prioritizes her mental wellness. She tries to see herself as a person first, not letting athletics determine her personality and goals. She also tries to avoid using social media too often or letting people have too many insights into her personal life so that she can focus on herself before competitions.
Mary Tucker
Mary Tucker competed in the shooting competition in 2020, receiving silver, and is now competing in the 2024 Olympics. She talks about the importance of sports psychology and how shooting can be a mental sport. In some cases, she scales back her training routine to ensure she has time to focus on self-care, reporting that she sometimes gets burned out by her training. Talking to a therapist is one way she copes with these challenges.
Tara Davis-Woodhall
Tara Davis-Woodhall is a track and field athlete who has talked about struggling with her mental health in college due to pressure from her coaches and family. She also explores how bullying and online backlash affected her. Her battle with depression and panic attacks led her to a mental health program where she began seeing a therapist. Since starting therapy, she has used journaling to let go of difficult thoughts. Her advice for young athletes is to be yourself and have fun with sports, rather than allowing them to take over your life.
Lessons about mental health from the Olympics
The Olympics is a high-stakes competition where individuals typically compete against athletes from numerous other countries. Many athletes are speaking out about the importance of sports psychology, a discipline of psychology that typically focuses on the unique impacts of sports and athletics on mental health.
A sports psychologist can offer training advice and evidence-based coping strategies that have worked for other athletes. However, whether you’re an athlete or not, talking to a therapist can be helpful, and approximately 55.8 million US adults sought mental health care in 2022. It can be important to note that you don’t have to have a mental illness to benefit from therapy.
How athletes can prioritize their mental wellness
Athletes tend to have a higher risk of developing conditions like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. To focus on your mental health before and during competition, consider the following tips:
- Consider a 10-minute meditation before competing
- Talk to a sports psychologist
- Avoid working with coaches or trainers who perpetuate harmful stereotypes about body types, weight, and eating
- Talk to a registered dietician
- Practice meditation or mindfulness
- Talk to teammates, friends, and family about mental health
- Give yourself a break when you’re overwhelmed or burned out
- Practice positive affirmations
- Spend time away from social media when it negatively impacts you
- Engage in regular self-care practices
- Put energy into other hobbies
- Spend time in nature
Addressing stigma
Facing stigma as an athlete with mental health challenges can be difficult. You might find that stigma decreases your self-esteem and leads to worries about performance or daily life.
To address stigma, consider following others online who talk about mental health and advocacy work. You can also join mental health walks, volunteer for mental health organizations like the Trevor Project, and recommend resources in your community.
When people you know make hurtful comments or jokes, speak up and let them know why this type of stigma can perpetuate the fear of seeking help. You may also find it helpful to explore the latest updates on how athletes in the Olympics and Paralympics cope with mental health challenges and pressure from spectators.
How to find mental health support
If you’re living with a mental health condition or experiencing burnout, you might benefit from speaking with a therapist. However, the many obligations associated with athletics, as well as barriers like financial stress, can prevent some people from seeking the support they deserve. In these cases, online therapy platforms like BetterHelp may be more accessible.
Through an online platform, you can book sessions according to your schedule, even outside of standard business hours and on the weekends. You can also access resources like group sessions, journaling prompts, goal-tracking, webinars, and worksheets, which may all be helpful in taking a dedicated approach to self-care.
Studies suggest that online therapy can effectively treat various mental health conditions. In one study, an online intervention appeared to be more effective than in-person treatment in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms and improving participants’ quality of life.
Takeaway
- Previous Article
- Next Article