With the worldwide spotlight on the Tokyo Olympics, a rise in mental health awareness has come from Simone Biles’ withdrawal from gymnastic events. After miscounting rotations on the vault, Biles spoke of having “the twisties:” a phenomenon in which gymnasts lose track of spatial awareness during moves that involve twists and rotations. The twisties can stem from various factors including stress. The dangers of such a phenomenon are life-threatening as one wrong move can lead to a plethora of injuries, so stepping out of the event was an incredibly wise decision for Biles to make. However, Biles still received backlash for putting her mental health first. What does this say about how society perceives mental health and overworking ourselves?
Mental health is a crucial component to the way we perform daily activities. Just like we need our bodies to be functional to complete tasks, we need our brains to be functional to tell our bodies what to do. Physical and mental health go hand in hand, yet society downgrades mental struggles to a much higher degree. This applies to every single person - not just high-performing Olympic athletes. Take the time to check yourself when things get stressful and assess the ways in which you can reduce such stressors.
Early warning signs of mental health include:
Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
Consider reaching out to your primary care physician if experiencing these symptoms and access resources for mental health here.
See LoveYourCity’s tips for encouraging mental health in the workplace.
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