I have been hooked on the Olympics this week, I love watching all the different sports that we don’t normally get to watch. My standout favourites have been the Gymnastics, but also things that we wouldn’t normally consider to be competitive such as climbing, skateboarding, BMX freestyle. They have proven to be really exciting to watch... I just love
it.
The other thing which I find interesting and sad is the emotional/mental health issues that come out of training to be an Olympic competitor. This week we have heard about the issues that some of the competitors find themselves dealing with. Simone Biles the gymnast from USA making a very public expression of the emotional pressure that she has been dealing
with. Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis star another example of taking time out so she can take care of her mental health.
And it doesn’t surprise me really, when we see athletes/competitors investing so much into attempting to reach their peak performance for their event. Sometimes it can be all over in one day, sometimes it can be all over almost before it begins … the tears of Adam Gemili, one of our sprinters who just at the start of his race had to pull up due to a damaged
hamstring, comes to mind.
The mental pressure can often feel like it is coming from others, even when they are competing in what seems like a solitary event, and athletes can feel like they are carrying a lot of weight on their shoulders. We hear at post-performance interviews, the athletes apologising for letting people down when they feel they haven’t achieved what
they set out to achieve.
You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to feel pressure and to feel that it is coming from others' expectations of us. But how much of this comes from what we are telling ourselves and the stories that we make up based around our thoughts and feelings. Of course these stories are coming from our thoughts and feelings based on previous experience. But we can
change it, just because something has happened before doesn’t mean it will happen exactly in that way again. And often the people we think we are letting down are just wanting us and wishing us well, hoping that we do well, hoping that we succeed, but actually mainly hoping that we are healthy and happy.
I am sure, or at least I hope, that those athletes dealing with their mental health based around performance, disappointments, injuries … receive the support they deserve. Not only to fix them physically, but to help them deal with their thoughts and feelings and their perception of what others are thinking about them. Let them know that they should not feel
like they are carrying a burden on their shoulders, but should feel uplifted by the level of real care and support that surrounds them.
