Since the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles has been open and honest about her journey with mental health and anxiety. And she's continuing to share what she's learned along the way. The Olympic gold medalist recently revealed that with the support of her therapist she’s found tools that help her manage anxiety, while still acknowledging her emotions. The superstar athlete humbly accepted the Child Mind Institute’s Inaugural Trailblazer Award at the annual Child Advocacy Awards. During the event, Biles spoke to Harold S. Kopleqicz, M.D., the president, medical director, and co-founder of the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on helping families and children struggling with mental health and learning disorders, about her experience at the Tokyo Olympics and the tools she now uses to cope with anxiety. “I have pretty bad anxiety sometimes," Biles said. She shared that her therapist suggested she write in a “worry journal,” to allow her to keep her anxiety in check daily.She explained the method behind the worry journal: Write her worries down in the journal and then assign a time in the day to address those worries—for Biles it's between 12 to 1 p.m. “Anything I've written down in my worry journal, I use that hour to worry about the things then,” Biles shared. “And usually by the time 12 or 1 comes, I've already forgotten about all my worries so that kind of is a tool that helps me.”Biles said she hopes to be a “voice for the voiceless” and to be a catalyst to open up the conversation around mental health. “I hope that I’ve allowed them to use their voices and be powerful with it because I know my career has been very successful, but I’ve also had my ups and downs,” she said. “I hope people see that and can relate to that being in their everyday life. Just to not give up and to move forward and keep pushing.”The Child Mind Institute shared a video of Biles accepting the award to their Instagram account with the caption, “By being brave and protecting her mental health Simone Biles inspired others to do the same.” During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles decided to pull out of the individual all-around competition due to the terrifying “twisties” that causes her to get lost in the air. The decision to put her own mental health and safety first was a scary choice for the athlete that ultimately led her on a path of mental health activism. “I was feeling very overwhelmed because there was a lot and I think there was a lot of pressure outside the sport that was placed on me to compete at that Olympics,” she explained of the incident. “And we hadn’t had that kind of entertainment in a really long time due to COVID. I think it was really hard because everyone was counting on me to supply that entertainment, that happiness, that joy.”The Olympic gold-medalist revealed that her therapist has been a major player in managing her anxiety, and she encourages others to seek the help that they need.“I do keep close contact with my therapist–I love that. And it’s super exciting, so hopefully, more people are open to going to therapy and just knowing that they’re there for you and not to harm you,” she said.Biles was initially resistant to therapy, but now credits therapy with helping her process her emotions and find herself. “One of the very first sessions, I didn’t talk at all,” she recently told Glamour. “I just wouldn’t say anything. I was like, ‘I’m not crazy. I don’t need to be here.’” But over time the Olympic gymnast found comfort in her therapist and was able to see that anyone can benefit from seeking mental health support. At the end of the day, Biles shared that she was surprised by the outpouring of love and support from others to take care of herself first. She added that she now focuses on everyday happiness which is “just waking up and having a positive outlook on life in general and to know that you’re blessed with another day.”
Since the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles has been open and honest about her journey with mental health and anxiety. And she's continuing to share what she's learned along the way. The Olympic gold medalist recently revealed that with the support of her therapist she’s found tools that help her manage anxiety, while still acknowledging her emotions.
The superstar athlete humbly accepted the Child Mind Institute’s Inaugural Trailblazer Award at the annual Child Advocacy Awards. During the event, Biles spoke to Harold S. Kopleqicz, M.D., the president, medical director, and co-founder of the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on helping families and children struggling with mental health and learning disorders, about her experience at the Tokyo Olympics and the tools she now uses to cope with anxiety.
“I have pretty bad anxiety sometimes," Biles said. She shared that her therapist suggested she write in a “worry journal,” to allow her to keep her anxiety in check daily.
She explained the method behind the worry journal: Write her worries down in the journal and then assign a time in the day to address those worries—for Biles it's between 12 to 1 p.m. “Anything I've written down in my worry journal, I use that hour to worry about the things then,” Biles shared. “And usually by the time 12 or 1 [p.m.] comes, I've already forgotten about all my worries so that kind of is a tool that helps me.”
Biles said she hopes to be a “voice for the voiceless” and to be a catalyst to open up the conversation around mental health. “I hope that I’ve allowed them to use their voices and be powerful with it because I know my career has been very successful, but I’ve also had my ups and downs,” she said. “I hope people see that and can relate to that being in their everyday life. Just to not give up and to move forward and keep pushing.”
The Child Mind Institute shared a video of Biles accepting the award to their Instagram account with the caption, “By being brave and protecting her mental health Simone Biles inspired others to do the same.”
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles decided to pull out of the individual all-around competition due to the terrifying “twisties” that causes her to get lost in the air. The decision to put her own mental health and safety first was a scary choice for the athlete that ultimately led her on a path of mental health activism.
“I was feeling very overwhelmed because there was a lot and I think there was a lot of pressure outside the sport that was placed on me to compete at that Olympics,” she explained of the incident. “And we hadn’t had that kind of entertainment in a really long time due to COVID. I think it was really hard because everyone was counting on me to supply that entertainment, that happiness, that joy.”
The Olympic gold-medalist revealed that her therapist has been a major player in managing her anxiety, and she encourages others to seek the help that they need.
“I do keep close contact with my therapist–I love that. And it’s super exciting, so hopefully, more people are open to going to therapy and just knowing that they’re there for you and not to harm you,” she said.
Biles was initially resistant to therapy, but now credits therapy with helping her process her emotions and find herself. “One of the very first sessions, I didn’t talk at all,” she recently told Glamour. “I just wouldn’t say anything. I was like, ‘I’m not crazy. I don’t need to be here.’”
But over time the Olympic gymnast found comfort in her therapist and was able to see that anyone can benefit from seeking mental health support.
At the end of the day, Biles shared that she was surprised by the outpouring of love and support from others to take care of herself first. She added that she now focuses on everyday happiness which is “just waking up and having a positive outlook on life in general and to know that you’re blessed with another day.”
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