Four Mental-Health Lessons We Learnt From Simone Biles This Week

The most decorated American gymnast of all time. Olympic gold medallist. Mental health advocate. Sexual assault survivor. Simone Biles is - in every sense of the phrase - one of the strongest athletes of our generation, and last week Biles proved her strength yet again at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. If you missed it, Biles withdrew herself from the women’s team all-around gymnastics final, then pulled out of the individual vault, uneven bars and floor finals. Why? On social media, Biles explained that she’s going through an experience known as “twisting”, which can affect a gymnast’s spacial awareness. Ultimately, Simone Biles made the most difficult decision in her career to protect and preserve her mental health, which deserves a gold medal all on its own.

The only survivor of the infamous Larry Nassar sexual assault case that still competes, Biles expressed the pressure she was feeling just days before she decided to withdraw from the competition. On her Instagram, she said: “it wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it. I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard haha!”

We all have a lot to learn from Simone Biles. From finding the strength to persevere during times of adversity to being able to identify when you need to step back, here are four lessons we’ve learnt from Simone Biles this week.

If you work full time, study full time or y’now, just live in 2021, you’ll know all about burnout! Juggling your physical health, mental health, family, friends, errands, life admin (the list goes on and on) can lead to serious burnout if you don’t keep checking in on yourself. So, imagine being a literal Olympic athlete, juggling all the above (and MUCH more!). The word superhuman comes to mind. When Simone Biles withdrew from the events at the Olympics, she inadvertently gave every person that is struggling with their mental health permission to put themselves first.

When Biles sacrificed her chance at winning gold, she sent a message loud and clear to everyone that follows her that nothing is worth your mental health! Whether you’re overwhelmed at work, feeling the pressure in school or you’re just a tender point in your life where nothing’s making sense, take a leaf out of Simone’s book and prioritise you.

Following on from the news of her withdrawal from the games, Biles’ partner - NFL player Jonathan Owens - made a public statement os support on his Instagram. The post read: “Imma ride with you through whatever baby. Your strength and courage is unmatched and you inspire me more and more everyday SB. You always gone be my champ baby and don’t you ever forget that, I love you so much and I wan’t wait till you come home and I get to see that beautiful smile again. You know I’m always here for you baby.”

The lesson here? You deserve that ride or die partner that will be with you every. single. step of the way. We all know social media is full of trolls, bad news and posts that can make us feel a bit sh*t. But it’s content like this that give us a little more faith in humanity! JO + SB forever.

There’s nothing quite like the bond that can be formed between women, is there? When you’ve found your team, you just know. Not only did Simone Biles’ teammates support her through her decision, they went on to bag a silver medal for team USA, with Biles cheering them on from the side. On her Instagram, she said: “I’m SO proud of these girls right here. You girls are incredibly brave and talented! I’ll forever be inspired by your determination to not give up and to fight through adversity! They stepped up when I couldn’t. Thanks for being there for me and for having my back!”

No one gets to tell you when you’re ready. Read that again. NO. ONE. Gets to tell you when you’re ready. You create your own timeline that defines when you need a break and when you’re ready to resume regular programming. Sometimes, you might need a few days to get your head straight and that’s so fine. Other times, you might need longer, or shorter. But one thing’s for certain, it’s YOUR timeline and only you can define it.

It was announced that, following on from her withdrawal from some events, Biles will be competing in the gymnastics beam final on the 3rd August. Proving once again that she can tune out the noise and make any and every decision that’s best for her, we can all learn a lesson from Biles on setting your own rules.

Let’s be real, we’re all trying to successfully navigate our way through the pandemic right now, so looking after our mental health is more important than ever! Take some cues from Simone Biles this week and put yourself first - you might just find it makes you feel like a champion