The recent Olympic Games in Paris once again brought together the world’s top athletes to compete for those much-sought after gold, silver and bronze medals.
Whether you are into sport or not, it was hard not to be drawn in – watching and cheering, and respecting the incredible commitment, strength and stamina shown, as well as the stories that each and every athlete has to offer.
During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, much attention and mixed response was given to US athlete Simone Biles, who pulled out during the competition citing poor mental health.
She later shared she was also suffering from the ‘twisties’, whereby she felt disorientated during her routines due to faulty communication between the brain and body, which can be dangerous.
There was backlash across the media outlets for Biles’ withdrawal and decisions made since, yet she stood her ground, removing herself from the limelight as she sought a way forward.
Three years later, Biles was back in her country’s US strip once more for the recent Olympics, keeping her focus and professionalism, and with the right people around her – including continuing her therapy sessions during the games.
Biles celebrated each of her three gold and one silver medal wins, adding: “After all these years of putting the mental work in, it’s paid off”.
Another very memorable moment at this year’s Olympics was the hugely emotional interview from Team GB swimmer Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix. She had already secured a bronze medal in an earlier diving event, but it was the interview following the event in which she came sixth that went viral across media platforms.
Here we saw overwhelming emotions, a relentless interview and a personal, brave share, where she revealed her previous struggles with mental health and that three years earlier, she did not want to be alive – instead turning the focus on medal loss into a celebration of being alive and still competing.
Although the life of a sports person is one far removed from the so-called ‘normal’ day to day, there are learnings here, including a need to become more attuned to how we are doing, what we need and what is actually important.
Learning to slow down or step off of life’s hamster wheel may not always seem necessary, yet if we continue to go at full speed, at some point we will find ourselves stumbling, if not falling off altogether.
Allow yourself the headspace to examine all aspects of your life, with a particular focus on what is helping you and what is potentially holding you back, or even hurting you. Only from this awareness can better choices be made – one you can celebrate and see as your own personal win.
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