By Amy Goyer — 2020
Think about empathy, not orders.
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CLEAR ALL
Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, has acknowledged that after the 2012 games, his longtime depression was so overwhelming he thought about killing himself.
Social sports leagues, generally cater to people like Jacquelyn Keenan, who sign up on their own or with a small group of friends. Most of the leagues are gender-neutral. “You get to meet so many people,” she said. “It’s not super-competitive, and kickball is a very accessible sport.”
Experts I spoke with for this story pointed to a couple of reasons professional athletes are particularly susceptible to mental health issues.
Research shows exercise can ease things like panic attacks or mood and sleep disorders, and a recent study in the journal Lancet Psychiatry found that popular team sports may have a slight edge over the other forms of physical activity.
By withdrawing from competition citing concerns over her mental health, Biles showed that resisting expectations can be more powerful than persisting through them.
Couper Gunn had talked openly with his team about gay slurs and their impact on him. It impacted him that night.
More athletes are reporting mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, psychiatric conditions and eating disorders.
The next time you pull a muscle and think, “Oh my gosh, not another one,” you may need to consider the location of your pain may not be the cause. If you are plagued with chronic muscle pulls or tendonitis-like symptoms you’ll need a more holistic approach to the problem.
When you have localized pain, what do you do? You reach for it. Often without conscious thought, your hand goes to the area of discomfort and massages it.