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Mental Health Stigma
GOATs Like Simone Biles Show the Power of Mental Health Advocacy
Olympians have shown us the way; now we must carry the mental health advocacy torch.
Posted August 19, 2024 Reviewed by Michelle Quirk
Key points
- In recent years, there has been a shift in how society views the lived experience of mental health challenges.
- Mental health is better when we openly talk about it.
- By being “out,” elite athletes like Simone Biles play a powerful role in mental health advocacy.
With the Paris Olympics now behind us, there is an important lesson we can all learn from our athletes, one not just about winning but also about overcoming.
A highlight of this year’s game was Simone Biles—now officially the GOAT of gymnastics—winning three gold and one silver in Paris, including a career-defining individual all-around. This all happened after she abruptly withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics three years earlier, citing a mental health breakdown at the time.
Her impressive comeback in Paris 2024 is a perfect example of how being open about mental health challenges helps to turn what’s traditionally thought of as a liability into a significant strength.
Other top athletes have been open about their mental health challenges over the years including swimming great Michael Phelps, four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, and, more recently, nine-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel.
What these top athletes have personally demonstrated is that the same quality that makes someone hugely successful—such as being extremely conscientious, disciplined, and determined—can also become a mental health hurdle.
Finding the right balance is important for elite athletes who must perform in extremely stressful professional contexts, and the same applies to all of us in our day-to-day jobs.
Mental Health Is Better When We Openly Talk About It
Why is it beneficial to open up about our mental health challenges?
It helps us acknowledge rather than avoid such challenges so we can develop positive and constructive strategies. Also importantly, it helps others around us to know what we’re going through, so they can support us in the best possible way.
Having support from professional mental health service providers is important, but most of the time, we rely on those who are around us in our day-to-day lives, including our family members, supervisors, and colleagues.
Knowing When and How to Take a Break Is Crucial
Sometimes, these challenges require an extensive break from our work. In Biles’ case, after withdrawing in the middle of the Tokyo Olympics, she took a two-year mental health break from the sport before returning in 2023.
Other times, taking short-term or even micro-breaks may be sufficient to help us reset our balance.
Knowing when we need to have a break, and having the courage to take it, is important. An increasing number of organisations globally now offer mental health leave, commonly referred to as wellness/well-being days, which enable employees to put a temporary pause on their busy work schedule in order to readjust.
Taking such leave at the right time and doing it in the right way, before the condition deteriorates, could help prevent major mental health breakdowns.
The Power of the “Mental Health Advocate” Role
Since the Tokyo Olympics, Biles found herself in the new role of mental health advocate, where she shares her own experiences, especially with young athletes.
Her courageous coming out in Tokyo encouraged the entire Team USA, as well as many across the world, to put mental health as the priority when going into Paris 2024, culminating in a significant cultural shift in the way mental health challenges are viewed and discussed.
Michael Phelps—widely considered the greatest swimmer of all time—established his own foundation to encourage open discussions and reduce stigma around such mental health challenges.
Having personally gone through those challenges, these elite athletes act as powerful role models, providing a living example of hope. The triumphant comeback of Biles in Paris, bouncing back from rock bottom to regaining the title of the world’s best female gymnast, demonstrates how one can move past such challenges and become stronger and better as a result.
Every One of Us Can Play a Role in Mental Health Advocacy
While elite sport represents a somewhat extreme working context, we know that many other jobs these days are becoming increasingly stressful and taxing. As a result, workforce mental health is now a crucial issue faced by many organizations. Alarmingly, many are yet to find viable solutions, and the stigma toward mental health challenges is still widespread in the workplace.
Meaningful mental health advocacy can help move the dial in this regard.
In a recent study, we showcase exemplary practice at a large Australian energy company that employed two full-time, ongoing “mental health advocate” roles to support the entire workforce’s mental health.
These roles are undertaken by current employees who have personally gone through significant mental health challenges and now use that “lived experience” to help others.
Being openly “out” about their challenges, these employees work closely with colleagues and their families to effectively navigate a journey toward recovery. They also provide ongoing trainings to leaders and employees, enabling them to come together and offer the best support to those in need.
Our research shows that employing these roles and maximizing their visibility and impact helps change the narrative around mental health in the entire organization, removing stigma and creating a more inclusive and open culture.
While we may never be as fast or strong as our Olympic heroes, it is within all of us to be as brave as them when facing mental health challenges, whether that means owning our own journey or supporting others in theirs.
