Simone Biles won a bronze medal today in the Olympics gymnastics competition after an incredible beam performance. The 24-year-old returned for the final day of artistic gymnastics after withdrawing from last week’s team final in order to protect her mental health.
After the time, Simone cited stress as her need for medical withdrawal – telling journalists ‘I didn't want to do something silly out there and get injured.’ She later elaborated on social media in a Q&A with fans, explaining that such stress had led to her experiencing the ‘twisties’ – a term used by gymnasts to describe a mental block – on all four apparatus in the finals.
It’s something she’s experienced before, she said, and can often take more than two weeks to overcome - adding that ‘It's never transferred to bars and beam before for me. It strictly likes vault and floor... the hardest two. But this time it's literally on every event. Which sucks... really bad.’
Simone then withdrew from the all-around, vault, floor and uneven bars apparatus but returned to the Olympic arena for her beam performance, much to the crowds joy. Of course, the young gymnastics star received tons of unqualified and unsolicited commentary from men like Piers Morgan last week – criticising her as ‘selfish’ and implying she should’ve ‘pushed’ herself more.
What men like Piers Morgan don’t understand though, is that ‘pushing’ beyond a mental block in a sport like gymnastics – whether it be due to nerves, stress or mental illness – means you risk catastrophic injury. Even I, as a once competitive cheerleader of nowhere near Olympic ability, would not risk competing with the ‘twisties’ because as anyone who actually competes in gymnastics knows, it’s really, really physically dangerous.
Simone has proven that with her entire Olympic experience. She chose to withdraw when she recognised her mental wellbeing was making it unsafe for her to compete, putting aside the ego and glory that comes with yet another Olympic medal and prioritising her health – only choosing to compete where she knew she could with confidence, both mentally and physically.
It was a profound moment for people, like me, who have to manage mental illness daily. If Simone Biles can forgo another potential Olympic gold medal – with all of the opportunity, legacy and pride that comes with – because of how stress has infiltrated her mind, we can all take the time to prioritise our mental wellbeing regardless of what’s at stake.
Today though, her decision to compete was even more inspiring. Not because she got back up after being knocked down – because, while that’s admirable it doesn’t say anything about your character if you do need a long-term break or help – but because she proved that the effects of stress and pressure on your mental wellbeing don’t last forever.
Sometimes holding on to the hope that you won’t feel as symptomatic tomorrow is all you have.
It sounds simple, but for those of us struggling to reconcile mental illness and the ways stress can worsen symptoms, moments like this matter. The ‘bad days don’t last’ can feel very cliché at times, and often unhelpful when your symptoms are bad or your triggers seem endless, but Simone Biles proved that to be true today. Sometimes, when it’s proving monumental to do the most basic tasks in life, holding on to the hope that you won’t feel as depressed, anxious, triggered or symptomatic tomorrow is all that gets you through the day.
Piers Morgan will say she’s ‘took his advice’ – literally, he said that this morning – but, as someone with mental illness and a (very short) history of competitive sport, I would say it’s not about ‘pushing’ through at all. Sometimes, making the big choices – to leave that job that’s causing you stress, that toxic relationship draining you or an uncomfortable living situation – gives you an entirely new lease of life.
With all the support she received and the pressure to perform gone in an instant, there’s no doubt that Simone’s mental strains improved drastically knowing that she doesn’t have to win gold to be valued in this world. She said it herself, posting on Twitter ‘the outpouring love and support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before.’
That kind of realisation does wonders for your mindset, and likely had a huge part in Simone being able to relinquish the hold stress was having on her and compete again. Because that’s what taking care of your mental health is, prioritising actions that will improve your symptoms and thus being able to wake up another day feeling that little bit better. Simone didn’t ‘push through’ then, she made a monumental decision that was right for her and clearly, it proved entirely successful. Her competing today is enough evidence of that, the bronze medal as the cherry on top just Simone being Simone…
Read More:
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