What We Can Learn From Olympians Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt About Asking for Help
Photo as seen in The Mighty
We had the honor of having Michael Phelps open up about his mental health and struggles with anxiety and depression in Angst. Training partner, friend, and fellow professional swimmer, Allison Schmitt has also opened up about her struggles. Phelps said, “For me, for so long, I was so afraid to ever ask for help and I found myself at a very low dark place and I was finally able to realize that I needed help. Finally I understood I cannot do it alone and for me, I needed somebody else to help me go through some of the hard times I was going through.” Schmitt explained, “I felt ashamed, I felt embarrassed for months when I was going to see a psychologist. There’s such a negative stigma around it, and it took until a traumatic event, my cousin losing her life to suicide, for me to finally accept that it’s OK to not be OK.” Hearing public figures share their experiences with anxiety and depression is inspiring. We should never be afraid to open up about our struggles or ask for help. Read the article here. Have you opened up to a friend about your anxiety or depression? Or have you shown support to a friend who was struggling? Let us know about your experience and how sharing has helped.
Resources & Tools:
Happify: Happify is the single destination for effective, evidence-based solutions for better emotional health and wellbeing in the 21st century.
Angst in the News:
(in case you missed it!) ParentMap: "Anxiety Is Universal" — And How This Documentary Will Help: Scilla Andreen of "Angst" shares what makes the movie so special
“There is help out there. There is hope to getting better.” - Allison Schmitt, Olympic Swimmer
Scilla Andreen, Exec Prod Angst, Hong Kong
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