Like many people, I was glued to my tv during the two weeks of the Paris 2024 Olympics. All the incredible athletic feats left my kids and me awed-inspired and sometimes in tears because these athletes are so incredible.
The two Olympics athletes that inspired me the most at these Games are gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Caleb Dressel, but for reasons other than their Olympic performances. Both athletes had taken time away from their sports since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health reasons. It is well known that Biles pulled out of the team competition in Tokyo due to the “twisties,” where a gymnast’s mind becomes disconnected from their body in a way that makes competing dangerous. In a USA Today article, Biles told reporters, “We’re people at the end of the day and sometimes you just have to step back. I didn’t want to go out and do something stupid and get hurt.”
Dressel stopped swimming for eight months after the Tokyo Olympics due to the mental stress he faced in competitions. In a USA Today article, Dressel explained his decision to take time off by saying, “It was a bunch of things that came crumbling down at once, and I knew that was my red flag right there.” Both athletes made their mental health a priority, and both came back to compete in Paris 2024 winning gold in multiple events. Biles won three gold medals and Dressel won two gold medals. 
These examples of world class athletes taking time off reminded me that as mothers it is imperative that we take our mental and physical health seriously.
Far from sacrificing success to prioritizing our health, reaching our best selves requires that we occasionally take care of ourselves. We can put our health first and still be successful in our endeavors, even (and perhaps especially) as mothers. It’s akin to securing your own oxygen mask before you help anyone else when flying. Dressel talks about how he used to pride himself in being able to mentally shove things down, and push aside and plow through. It worked for him for a very long time…until it did not. This is not an uncommon behavior.
Everyone is trying to cope with challenges and circumstances using the resources they have been given. We all have things we know we should do, but we procrastinate doing them. What we need to do in order to be successful and present as mothers is decide what our mental or emotional “red flags” are and put up boundaries in order to not push ourselves too far. Otherwise, we will find ourselves paying for not heeding the red flags in other ways.
Biles made the difficult decision to pull out of the team competition in the Tokyo games and rearrange her program for the vault. She ended up winning bronze in vault and said that her bronze medal was more important than her gold medals because of what she had gone through to win it.
I recently had my own physical setback. I stepped off a ledge — Looney Tune style — and injured my ankle. As a result, I have had to really scale back my physical activity. The doctors I have been working with have stressed the importance of me taking my injury seriously, telling me that if I don’t, I will injure myself again and again. Biles’ actions have helped me realize that I can take care of myself now and come back even stronger. Continuing to prioritize my mental and physical health will help me to continue to be active with my kids even after they are grown and gone.
I am really grateful these stories were featured during the Olympics. My kids were able to hear these athletes’ personal experiences and learn how they have been able to work through difficulties and come back to compete at the Olympic level — not only did they make the Olympic team, but they won gold!
