Simone: The Mental Health Advocate

We all know and love Simone Biles.

She has been winning gold and winning our hearts for years now. In addition to being an all around champion, Simone is now embarking on conquering new goals. Her advocacy for mental health among athletes.

For those that aren’t professional athletes, the pressure to perform well at work or with family and friends can be hard and heavy.

Life itself is pressure enough. Just imagine performing the most difficult task of your day with thirty cameras and the whole world watching you. Most of us would fold. To take it a step further, imagine what that constant pressure would do to your mental health.

Biles makes it clear that it was never her intent to be on the frontlines of the mental health battle. She says,"So, to kind of be put at the forefront, it's like... I'm still going through my own thing. So how am I supposed to teach people, hey, like, you should do this or this, but everybody goes through that process differently and there are different methods that work for each individual person”.

In her interview with Olympics.com, she also said, "See for me, that was the hardest part because speaking out on mental health, I knew that I could have the possibility of becoming an advocate for that. But it wasn't my goal. It's not what I really wanted.” Despite her hesitation to be a spokesperson for such a cause, Simone still took the leap knowing that her advocacy was important for the cause.

The fact that she can be open about her experience is something that many of us need to see. Bringing attention to such an overlooked subject is a huge feat. Not to mention, while still advocating for herself. It seems to be a lot, yet a necessary measure.

The expectation for athletes to perform is high and although we may not want to admit it that expectation can also be dangerous. Nevertheless, she shows up, pushes through, and strives to create an environment that she can be safe and healthy in, that’s top tier.

Being an advocate for anything can be challenging. Often we identify people by what they fight for, in this case, Simone has taken a scary yet important step. She’s advocating for a cause that she needs advocating for as well.

Being aware of mental health challenges is a big part of the battle. In Black communities, mental health has not always been viewed as it is now, and for some the uphill battle continues.

For some people, in all communities, mental health is not an easy topic and may not even be one that is discussed among family and friends. To say that everyone has joined the party on addressing mental health concerns would be a lie, but we must remember some key points and acknowledge the goods and bads we’ve experienced on the journey.

• There is still much stigma around mental health across all communities and social classes. We cannot ignore the impact that the latest awareness has made.

• More BIPOCs are seeing therapists and making great progress with their mental health, but there is still work to be done.

• It is still important to have open, healthy conversations surrounding mental health in BIPOC communities and to educate each other about what that means and looks like for each person involved.

Simone highlights the importance of relying on your support system. She states how important it is to allow those around you to “be there” for you because doing it alone is not always an option.

It’s easy to see that mental health affects everyone. Athletes, moms, teachers, public servants, literally everyone! As a people it is vital that we pay more attention and be truly diligent with it. The statistics are breathtaking and help to bring true perspective to its level of importance.

The fact that a young, Black female athlete is making it her business to bring attention to this subject is phenomenal. We should all be proud and we should do our part to keep a consistent and accurate check on our mental health and the mental health of those around us. Have those conversations, check-in with family and friends, get help if you need it, and don’t shame those who are brave enough to get help when it’s needed.

We salute you Simone on your braveness and efforts.