Performance Pressures and Mental Health
Blog post written by Lama El-Hanan, Straight Up Health
Lessons to Take Away from Biles’ Withdrawal from the All-Around Final
Earlier this year, tennis star and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, citing issues related to anxiety and depression. The move came after Osaka was fined for not conducting her media duties at the tournament due to the effect of the reporters’ questions on her mental health. Osaka’s decision would later inspire Simone Biles to withdraw from the women’s all-around final at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The gymnastics star said she was dealing with a number of mental health issues related to performance pressures and that she would be stepping down to focus on her mental health and overall well-being.
Biles received a lot of criticism for her decision. However, she was met with a larger outpouring of support from other athletes and Olympics viewers in general, who praised her for bringing public attention to an often ignored issue--the impact that performance pressures have on the mental health of competitive athletes. Her decision is emblematic of a broader movement to prioritize self-care and interrupt the rhythms of our performance oriented cultures, which often place productivity over individual well being. There are a number of key lessons we can take away from this.
1. Mental and Physical Health Issues Are Equally Valid
We are in awe of the physical prowess of Olympic athletes. We know that making it to the Olympics requires not only talent, but an incredible amount of physical training and skill. However, we often neglect to think about the mental fortitude that competing in the Olympics involves. Becoming an Olympic athlete requires a great amount of discipline, motivation, ambition and drive. Like many of us, Olympic athletes struggle with performance anxiety, imposter syndrome and feelings of self doubt to name a few mental health challenges. Despite this, we do not tend to treat the physical and mental aspects of competition equally. Athletes are afforded a lot of grace when they are physically injured and unable to perform at peak capacity. Everyone understands that they need to take the time off to heal and recover. That same attitude does not always extend to mental health challenges. Athletes are unfairly expected to keep pushing through the emotional and mental struggles they experience while competing. But Biles’ decision to step away from competition in order to focus on her mental well-being demonstrates that struggling with mental health issues is an equally valid reason to take a break as breaking a bone or tearing a ligament.
2. You Cannot Pour from An Empty Cup
Many people who criticize Biles’ withdrawal argue that her decision is selfish--that she is letting down her coaches, team members and supporters. I would argue that the opposite is true. Self-care is often seen as a selfish act when in fact it can be an essential aspect of caring for others. We cannot pour from an empty up. When we are emotionally and physically depleted, we are not able to show up for others the way we would like and that is a sign that we should take a step back to check in with ourselves. Biles herself cited this as an important factor in her withdrawal from the women’s all-around final. Explaining her decision, she stated “I’m not in the right headspace. I’m not going to lose a medal for this country and these girls because they worked too hard.” Rather than criticizing Biles, we should be praising her not only for her incredible self-awareness but the courage she demonstrated in taking a step back for her own well-being and that of her team.
3. You are More Than Your Accomplishments
In an emotional tweet, Biles stated that the outpouring of support following her decision to withdraw from the women’s all-around final made her realize that she is “more than [her] accomplishments and gymnastics” which she “never truly believed.” Many can relate to these sentiments. As human beings, we like to tether our value to things we can quantify like our looks, our academic performance, our professional achievements and our wealth. Competitive athletes are even more vulnerable to defining themselves by their accomplishments. After all, it is their incredible physical feats that garner them respect, adoration, success and fame. However, external factors are a relatively unstable source of self-worth as these can change in an instant. Studies demonstrate that individuals who base their sense of self on their accomplishments are at a higher risk of developing depression and anxiety as well as substance use issues. Tying our self-worth to our intrinsic value as human beings and internal sources such as our values, hopes, character and integrity is much more conducive to our mental well-being. While we can and should be proud of what we have accomplished, it is important to appreciate these accomplishments and the value they add to our lives rather than simply evaluating and measuring them.