Mental Health Heroes

Over the summer, media buzz surrounding professional athletes consumed much of the world’s attention. Many were quick to judge when a high-profile athlete pulled out of competition for mental health reasons. Rather than celebrating the courage it took to step forward and shed light on such an important issue, she was ridiculed, heavily criticized and shamed by people around the globe. Imagine the pressure athletes feel while training for competition as big as the Olympics. They push their bodies to the fullest extent day after day, year after year. It’s hard for the average person to imagine the physical demands required to compete at such a high level. News coverage and social media allow us to visualize the physical aspects involved in training. We only see the struggle and determination from the outside. But, what about the mental toll endured on these athletes that is on the inside? 

Few are brave enough to step forward and reveal their true emotions on a public platform. There are millions of people who struggle every single day with their mental health and yet so many face their demons in silence. They suppress it and hold onto this internal battle for the fear that no one will understand when in reality, so many can relate. The fact is, we need to be more vocal about these issues. Athletes, celebrities, politicians, or other individuals with public platforms who are open about mental health provide comfort to those afraid of speaking up and seeking help. We need to empathize with the individual who is brave enough to admit they are struggling because deep down, we all need a mental health hero. 

Naomi Osaka is a storied professional athlete. She is the first Asian to be ranked #1 by the Women's Tennis Association, and the first Japanese-born player to ever win a Grand Slam tennis tournament. Since then, her life has been under a microscope because when she reached that level of play, the media expected perfection at all times and nothing in her life was off-limits to the public. This summer she pulled out of two major grand slam tournaments, the May-June French Open and England’s famed historic Wimbledon in July. Naomi stated she needed time to rest both her mind and body and that the constant and unrelenting media pressure was exhausting. The media response went way outside the lines, claiming she would set a precedent that would eventually deny access to her and other future athletes. Naomi made the decision to do what she felt was in her best interest and for that, she deserves a standing ovation.

Many came to her defense including Michelle Obama, Michael Phelps, Rafael Nadal, and more. TIME magazine featured her on the cover of their July 8, 2021 edition. “It’s O.K. to Not Be O.K.”  It is a statement of honesty, humility, and candor. Naomi reminds us all that we are not perfect, nor are we meant to be perfect. We are human and need to take care of our emotional and mental well-being alongside our physical bodies. When one is not working, it interferes with the other. And, most importantly, we don’t have to be high-profile athletes to experience and understand the meaning of mind-body well-being.

A while back, I was in a conversation with a parent about their child who had been complaining of unresolved back pain that was interfering with the ability to play on an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) travel team. The child had been through two rounds of physical therapy and chiropractic care and was starting a third round of physical therapy with me. In that same conversation, that parent related that their child needed to “get serious” about college and make a definitive decision at 15 years old.  Unfortunately, I have had this same conversation with different parents about different sports but with the same common thread. More concern about the physical body than the mental body.

We need to pause and think about those young people in our immediate presence and the messages they see and hear through mainstream and social media about themselves. They are pressured to start looking at colleges and competing for scholarship money from high school freshman year on. These are teenagers!!! How would they know what college to attend or what to study? Those that are undecided have difficulty because indecision is somehow interpreted as failure or not being good enough. There are no wrong answers to any of these questions. But, that is not the message they are seeing or hearing

Mental health is a silent injury that eats away our inner being right in front of a crowd and no one seems to notice. We don't need to be silent about it. Give it a voice...give it a name...so healing can begin. Thank you, Naomi Osaka, for allowing all those young women out there to do just that: balance the mind and body. It is TRULY OK to NOT BE OK. To recognize that in oneself leads to strength, resilience, and a deeper insight.  And, shines a light on which path to follow. 

We are human and not meant to be perfect. We all have struggles both mentally and physically. We all can be mental health heroes. Are you?

For more information on mental health go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness and be your own mental health hero or for someone you love. 

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