Honest question here for a discussion. Have mental health topics (and the openness for a discussion around it) become more mainstream or is the younger generation really not as cut out to handle the stresses and pressure of their chosen occupation. Or is there more pressure on them because of technology, internet, etc?
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Definitely the fact that people are more willing to talk about mental health as well as amplified pressure by technology. In the past people would just drink themselves to death/kill themselves, but today they are more willing to seek help (which to some is an example of "weakness" or "snowflake mentality")
It's silly to make a generalization that one whole generation is inherently mentally weaker. People aren't that different across the ages.
OP-Why is it better to deal with it later? Perhaps if Phelps had dealt with it in real time, he would have had fewer challenges between Olympics. Of course, we’ll never know since he used your preferred method, but did you ever think we may be reducing individual and societal carnage by allowing people to bow out when needed?
I’d also add that apparently other gymnast such as Nastia Liukin have indicated that she did the right thing given the risk of grave injury.
Rising Star
This thread is bad.
Someone made a choice about their health and wellbeing. If you want there to be change (re: all the complaining about long hours in consulting, etc), there should be empathy about someone literally doing something about their stress.
Simone (or any Olympian for that matter), is an accomplished athlete, medal or not. I doubt you train for 99% of your life and then, cause you're 'too weak' or 'mental infirm' do you back out at the last minute.
Everyone here questioning the decision forgets all the pain that goes into getting there. And remember, for her, at 24, she has easily more life left as a non athlete than an athlete. If she's prioritizing her health, we should all applaud her forward thinking ability, and not jump on her refusal to provide a momentary and inconsequential medal for a nationalistic cause
This thread wow... it's like not her sport is finger painting.. they literally do things where 1 mistake might mean they are disabled for life or even die.. do you even see the stuff they do??? How any one is giving her a hard time absolutely blows my mind.. you're not in her shoes and know what's she going through....
Pro
My take is that she didn't show leadership. You're a professional athlete leading a team. You don't quit on them when it gets tough. She's off to compete solo later this week though? Seems odd.
I look at it like this: when your ace pitcher is out there giving up grand slams, it's clearly a day he doesn't have his best stuff.
Simone had one of those days and exited early.
Ever hear of the yips? Trying to perform gymnastics with the yips is both dangerous and potentially costlier for your team. I think after the bad vault, making that call salvaged a medal.
You never say the Y word out loud
- Coach Lasso
I don’t think it has to be about them being unable to handle the pressure. I think they have realized they don’t have to. We force ourselves into these fake parameters because it’s always been done this way and they are saying you know what, I don’t think so. Good for them.
@AC1
I think more mainstream though still a stigma. Simone also is under a lot of pressure both physically and emotionally. Gymnasts put a ton of stress on their bodies and she's not wrong that she could really hurt herself if she's not in the right mental state. They're also doing routines that are more intense than decades ago.
It's both more openness and more people victim of chronic stressors, predisposing to mental health issues (specially if stressors start from a developmental age) , together with several other different factors.
It's not youngster's "weakness" tho. Keep in mind mental health issues are nowadays next to an alarming 40% of the population and still rising.
About internet (despite being out of topic in the case of Simone, bu since you asked) it is just a small part of the problem , but its effect is indirect. It's not just because you spend more time in front of a screen, that's a non sense rethoric without any detail (quality time is more important than quantity) , but internet has taken some aspect of our society to the extremes (i.e. Individualism, competitiveness, no rest times to elaborate, constant comparison, materialism, information flooding, excess of options), this complex chronic stressors (that's it) translate also, but not only, in a lack of meaningful real life social net, social cohesion and sense of belonging, which are some of the greatest protectors against stress and traumas. No surprise people who lack social support from an early age for more obvious causes, are several times more prone to mental health issues.
Btw, don't forget she is participating in an event which is itself a huge chronic stressor both physically and mentally, plus we do know nothing about her, her experiences, her being black, and personality (which is the biggest endogen factor) . I never judge in these cases.
I think it's a mixture of both. Our entirely lives are online and we are constantly pressured to be "on show" for others, and tread lightly in case a tweet becomes controversial in 20 years. Kids start prepping for colleges years in advance, anything below an A is a disaster, and the constant competition for everything means we are robbing kids of self-exploration and a fun childhood.
On the other hand, kids are not taught self-responsibiliy or self-reliance, which means they are turning into useless, depressive, angsty members of society that can't do anything without their parents or their phone. We teach kids now that everything is a "systemic and societal issue" and there's nothing they can do about it other than by demanding exceptions and shortcuts.
As an olympic athlete (or anyone else at the top of your field) performing under pressure is the job. It is often the difference between the medal positions, the folks who qualify and the folks who don’t qualify. Skill/ability is for the most part similar with a few exceptions (phelps, woods, fed, bolt etc.)
Athletes should be given the tools and people to deal with the mental aspects of the game to ensure they are taking care of themselves. Just like they are given the tools and people to improve their physical fitness / game.
Mental health, like physical health, can be managed by consistent coaching/therapy and some therapeutic interventions.
The added pressure for those who seek additional fame and notoriety does seem to be a factor. There a lot of active and recently-active multiple medal winners who are absolutely not household names; I'd be interested in seeing how they fare from a mental health standpoint compared against those like Osaka, Biles etc. who are younger and not yet as successful in their sport but are hugely famous with active public personas. I would doubt that the more solitary individuals who shy away from the limelight have to deal with 'feeling like the entire weight of the world is on their shoulders' as Biles puts it, but maybe there's no relation.
People are more willing to talk and seeking help isn’t as frowned upon.
In the past people just drank and self medicated their feelings away. Things like domestic abuse were far more common.
I was speaking to someone who mentioned that their child was a state athlete but that they felt it wasn’t a big deal. The reason is that with Instagram the competition is global. When he (the dad) was a kid, getting to State was a huge deal, today with Instagram his son is competing against the world.
Chief
Sometimes you ate the wrong taco before an event and don’t want to tell people it’s coming out hot.
Manager 1, I'm going to look that up and if it's true that's the most awesome thing ever.
She will have mental anguish the rest of her life because of her decision. Maybe some relief now, though.
Doubt it. I think she will have more mental anguish over the sexual abuse she was subjected to, the lack of protection she received from the IOC, and the unfair scoring practices she has been subjected to over the years. I think she will actually be quite fine with her decision as the most decorated gymnast ever to not participate in these olympics. She has absolutely Otho g to prove which is why she was comfortable enough to back out.
Following
I assume that the pressure an Olympic athlete + very famous person faces is on another level that not many people can understand/prepare themselves for/prepare others for.
Yes but that also the reason they’re there and so many others are not.
Get the right team, find the right technique and include it in your prep routine. And if things don’t work out then you acknowledge the other person was better that day and move on.
You prep your mental health just like your physical fitness. You cant be an elite athlete and say “If only xyz was right then i would have won” - that’s an excuse. You should know it’s past of the job and if you don’t then your underprepared.
More mainstream and awareness rather than a taboo (weakness of mind).
Chief
The good thing is that we are talking about it more and there shouldn’t be such a stigma because mental health is health and stress is a real mental and physical issue.
That said, social media and technology are making things worse but many people now are raised differently and don’t know how to receive and use constructive criticism and feedback. Learning to fail and how to fail, not lose your composure and get better is important and there is definitely less resilience in younger workers as a whole today than in previous generations.
I think it’s social media. Everyone has silver medal syndrome. There’s always something better to be had. It’s hard to appreciate what you have. As early as 2008, maybe even 2010, the most I could do on my phone was write emails on the blackberry curve… Let’s all go back to blackberry curves.