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Simone Biles – The Reality of Mental Health

As you’ve probably heard, Simone Biles, top American and world gymnast, withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics Olympics final on Tuesday.  In the midst of a complex vault that was supposed to be 2.5 twists, she became dazed and disoriented, as she flipped in the air.

She managed to bring herself to a safe landing but described the experience as petrifying. In gymnastics, this lack of orientation and body-mind synching is called the “twisties”.

Simone withdrew for mental health reasons.

For the most part, she has received positive support, but as in all situations, there have been people berating her for “quitting”.

To me, this shows that although we’ve come along way in creating awareness about mental health, there is still a long way to go.  As others have said, if she had broken an arm or leg, no one would have questioned the decision to withdraw.

However, mental health is invisible and so it is easier for people to discount it as a valid reason for withdrawing.

For people who understand mental health, have been touched by a loved one’s mental health struggles or their own mental health crisis, they understand that it would have been potentially life-threatening for Simone to continue to compete, whilst fighting with her brain – as she describes it.

Sadly, in our society, it is still expected to remain silent when struggling, push through when there’s struggles and keep going no matter what.

However, as with all our organs, the brain also has a tipping point.  Simone reached that tipping point whilst twisting upside-down in the air.  I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for her.

How devastating for her to not compete and for this to happen so publicly on the Olympic stage.

More Awareness around the Reality of Mental Health

However, the silver lining is that it’s creating more awareness around the reality of mental health.

Simone is strong, courageous and a fighter.  Of all the hundreds of young women that were sexually abused by the American gymnast team doctor, she’s the only one left who’s publicly shared that she was sexually abused by him and is still competing as an American gymnast.

She has stated that she remained in the sport so that this trauma can’t be brushed off by the American gymnastic organization.

We all know that stress causes impairment and harm.  When we think of the stressors that Simone had coming into this Olympics, it’s understandable that she reached her tipping point.

From an athletic perspective, she is identified as the GOAT – Greatest Of All Time.  She already has 31 Olympic and world medals and she was expected to win at least four more gold medals at the Tokyo games!

From a COVID perspective, she was not able to carry out her normal training during the past fifteen months.  The Olympic stands are empty. (Of course, all athletes had these same challenges, but when looking at total stress factors, these are stress factors, on top of her other significant stress factors.)

From a personal perspective, at the last Olympics, she was there with the team doctor who sexually abused her and so many others.  Being at the Tokyo Olympics, could well have triggered her sexual abuse trauma.

I applaud Simone for handling this crisis with such grace.  To withdraw and stay on the floor to support her teammates took tremendous courage. (One would imagine that the “flight” instinct in her brain, would have wanted to flea and have her curl up in privacy, while releasing tears of fear and sadness.)

To speak up about the sexual abuse she experienced took immense bravery.

And now, to share her mental health struggles, is another level of vulnerability.

Simone Bile Is A Role Model

She is a role model in so many ways.

Simone never planned for this Olympic Games to be monumental in creating greater awareness about mental health, but it has.

She has shown that mental health is just as important and real as physical health.

She has shown that sometimes you have to stop, and it’s okay if, for now, you can’t go on.

She has shown that it’s okay to ask for help, and to believe that healing can happen.

How many people die by suicide because they’ve lost complete hope and don’t believe they will ever get better?  They often feel completely alone in their struggles. I believe that Simone is showing people that a mental health crisis can happen to anyone.

She is demonstrating that we need to listen to our bodies and our minds and care for ourselves.

Simone has been open about her mental health struggles in the past.  In a 2018 interview on Good Morning America, she talked about the ups and downs of her anxiety, her therapy and being on anti-anxiety medication.

There is no shame in this.  We are all human and our brains are vulnerable.

It’s important to talk about mental health with our kids and teens to help create awareness and lessen the stigma.

My heart goes out to Simone and I applaud her 24 year old inner-strength.

Warmly,

PS.  Registration is now open for my next round of September Brain Science groups to teach 7-9 year olds and 10-12 year olds about anxiety and anxiety management strategies.  Please click here for more information and to register.

PPS.  I was recently interviewed for the podcast, Therapeutic Perspective to explain how to use CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with children.  You can listen to the episode here.

PPPS.  I recently received and read a preview of the new children’s book, Louie and the Dictator – a wonderful book to help children understand anxiety and OCD.  It also describes the impact of COVID-19 on increasing anxiety in kids.  It’s now available on Amazon here and is an excellent read, for helping children and their parents/educators understand how OCD operates and what can be done to overpower it.