We’ve all heard people from time-to-time cite “mental health” as a reason they are not able to do something, but the focus has been squarely put on these two words recently by some of the world’s elite athletes who are looking past what they had been trained to do – shake it off, toughen up and focus on the task at hand – win, dominate, and get it done.
Retired American swimmer Michael Phelps, winner of 23 gold medals has openly spoken about his struggles with mental health and depression. Tennis player Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open in June, did not go to Wimbledon, referencing her mental health. And it was shocking to some when American gymnast Simone Biles decided she wasn’t in the right headspace and withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics gymnastics team competition to focus on her mental well-being.
“I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health, and not jeopardize my health and well-being,” Biles told the Associated Press. She said she recognized she was not in the right headspace hours before the competition began.
Biles has won four gold medals and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. She has earned five all-around titles in the world championships since 2013.
“Persons are gasping that Simone Biles dared to mention ‘mental’ involvement in her decision making,” said Psychologist Dr. Valarie Knowles. “Newsflash – her mental stamina and conditioning did not just ride in on the evening train and asked to accompany her to the Olympic event. It was there all along, even if it is not politically correct to mention its presence.”
Without mental stamina, Knowles says there can be no physical stamina for elite athletes as in every difficult vault, spin, turn and flip, the mind gives direction to the body on what twist and turn the body is going to take.
“We glorify the physical feats of athletes without acknowledging the influence of the mind over the body. The body is going nowhere without the mind. And for a while, the body may whip the mind in shape until – and the mind allows it until it tires and decides to take its own course.”
Knowles says people need to give more respect to the power of the mind in every situation in life. But that it just so happens that the conversation is rooted in the sports arena at this time.
The psychologist says she is happy to see the athletes in tune with their thoughts and feelings and understanding the role it plays.
“When it comes to the Olympics, people talk about physical strength, and not about the mental control, thought control and focus athletes need to execute. The athletes have brought to attention the fact that there is this other part that to their mind that needs to flip with them. They’ve brought the other side to the forefront. You can’t have physical stamina without mental stamina. The world needs to understand that. You can’t have behavior without brain. When we see an athlete execute an extremely difficult feat, there is also an extremely mental feat. The world just focuses on body movement and glorify difficult vaults, not realizing the brain is controlling and directing the physical feat.”
As athlete after athlete speak out about their mental health, Knowles said this is what has cued us in to the fact that the mind is always intricately involved in everything you’re doing. “Even though we pretend there is this stranger coming down the road, it’s always been there. We value physical strength without mental strength.”
The mental health professional says the Olympics in a pandemic is a significant multiplier considering the athletes have trained for years for one moment in time. And that when they miss, it’s done in front of the whole world, which she said adds another dimension to their stress level.
“Many of us, we don’t have to be worried if we slip and have four years to correct.”
Then she says the pandemic has to be factored in as athletes saw routines shifted, gyms closed, shift in their mental motivation, as they simply tried to stay safe, like every other person around the world.
Knowles describes this as shared trauma because nobody was excluded from the effects of the pandemic, yet the athletes still had to try to continue to do what they need to do to be at the top of their game. They had to figure out how to stay conditioned, how to continue with their routine even as a “monster” was trying to get them, even as what they needed to do in order to do well in international competition was interrupted.
Australian swimmer Jack McLoughlin after winning a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle described how the pressures of training during a pandemic while also pursuing an engineering degree nearly caused him to quit the sport.
He spoke about training up to 10, 11 times a week, and of doing it when he was not 100 percent certain of getting to where he wanted to be. He said it was hard. Particularly, with the world watching.
“Even if I recoup, can I get my mind and body with me … traveling to a foreign country, all these things are built in, and the world still expects me to be fine and elite,” says Knowles.
The psychologist says no one competing at the Olympic level woke up one day and became elite. And that it took years of training and focus for the athletes to become the amazing talents that they are. For people who can’t run down the road to chase a dog, but sit in an armchair and lambaste an elite athlete, when they say they can’t compete due to mental health issues, she says is horrible.
She says at the Tokyo Olympics the athletes are also competing in a unique situation in venues devoid of fans and the things that would normally buoy them as they compete.
“The spaces are empty, and you’re in your head and that creates pressure.”
With many athletes taking a stand and opting to protect their mental health, Knowles said this has cued the world in to the fact that the mind is always intricately involved in everything a person does.
“Even though we pretend there is this stranger coming down the road, it’s always been there, people have just not recognized the role [mental health] has been playing, because we value physical strength without mental strength.”
The International Olympic Committee, aware of the struggles athletes face, increased its mental health resources ahead of the Tokyo Games. Psychologists and psychiatrists are onsite in the Olympic village. They also established a 24-hour “Mentally Fit Helpline” as a health support service that is reportedly available for three months after the Games.
The free hotline service offers in more than 70 languages clinical support, structured short-term counseling, and practical support.
Mental health issues have been in the forefront over the past 16 months due to the pandemic and more focus is being placed on it, in these Games. The psychologist recently urged essential workers to prioritize their mental health with The Bahamas in a third wave of COVID-19.
Knowles said the concept of shared trauma can be applied to essential workers, a group overlooked because of their position in society, titles and functions, and the assumptions people make about their mental wellness. She said the potential toll on the mental health of essential workers should not be taken for granted.
Just like Olympic athletes, she said some essential workers must cope with public expectations of perfection, and when they fall short, face harsh criticism. The mental health expert said coupled with the pressure of unrealistic expectations, distinct organizational challenges can compound stress reactions.
As the Olympians put public faces to mental health, Knowles encourages people who may need help to seek it rather than struggling in silence, sucking it up and moving on.
Indicators that are signs of mental illness that can signal a need to take a break include emotional numbness, heightened irritability, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, increased risk taking, lack of concentration, personal negligence, and out of character violations of the ethics and standards of the work organization.
But she says there is no need to wait until sleep deprivation sets in, relationships are fractured, judgment is severely impaired and all sense of personal respect, competence and integrity are compromised.
The post Olympians push mental health into the spotlight appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/olympians-push-mental-health-into-the-spotlight/
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