The Tokyo Olympics are in full swing right now and thanks to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, the much needed discussion about mental health is being raised.

All ATHLETES ARE WINNERS. All. Why? Cause each day they train, they go out and bring wellness to their bodies and to their minds. (We get the same by exercising) Think of all those endorphins! So bringing it up a big scale, what an amazing sensation it must be, to reach Gold, Silver and Bronze Olympic status. You achieve a place in history with spectators applauding and cheering loud, the world over.   So, when you compete again, the pressures to repeat this become more heightened. Not just your own pressures, but representing your country, dealing with the media and then there is social media…

When any athlete takes the decision to step away for physical or mental health reasons, we need to applaud them even more. Simone Biles has shown great strength in knowing her mental and physical abilities and what her body CAN, and can NOT do. She is also giving the greatest gift to her fellow athletes.

The same applause goes to Naomi Osaka, the Japanese tennis professional who decided to step away from competing in the French Open and Wimbledon in 2021 as she no longer wished to participate in the mandatory post match media commitments.  She explained her need to deal with depression and mental health issues that would not allow her play her best tennis game if she had to participate in the post match chat.

We are not only seeing athletes standing up for their mental health, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took the very brave step of shining a light on the pressures of the British Royal Monarchy as they stepped away from royal duties.

We ALL need to recognize when we need to step down and give ourselves a break to look at the bigger picture of what is important. It’s as simple as that – we need to gift ourselves. In Simone Biles words from her tweet: ”The outpouring love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before.”

Sophrology is easy and can be practiced anywhere. I teach it over the phone so all you need is a quiet space and a phone. I love my job. Every person I teach sophrology to feels such mental and physical wellness after each session that their gratitude fills me with great joy.