Mental health is something everyone has either heard about or deals with, but it’s often not talked about. It’s one of those topics where we feel weird discussing with others. It’s especially vulnerable when you’re an athlete.
As athletes, we’re kind of known for toughening it out, grinning and grinding through injuries, exhaustion, and failures. You need to be tough to compete, it’s as simple as that. Even though most of us are physically tough, mentally, a lot of athletes struggle. And we don’t talk about it. We don’t want to be seen by our teammates or our competitors as “weak,” so we stay silent.
I recently read an article about athletes struggling with depression and how they cope. Stacey, my teammate on pedal RACING, and I talk about famous professional athletes in our honest discussion about mental health and what it’s like to excel in cycling while managing mental health issues.