When I opened my phone this morning to scroll through the headlines, I found one name plastered everywhere: Simone Biles.

The 24-year old gymnast, deemed by many the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) made the decision to withdraw from the team competition at the world’s most prestigious athletic competition earlier this morning.

The reason? The state of her mental health.

Just yesterday, Biles took to Instagram to share the stress she’s been feeling this week. “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard,” the young gymnast confided in her post.

 

In today’s team finals competition, Biles made the decision to step back from the event after faulting the landing of her vault. Her team went on to win the silver medal while Biles cheered them on from the sidelines.

Although initial reports speculated that maybe the gymnast had been physically injured, she cleared the air in her post-competition interview when she shared that her withdrawal was based on her mental—not physical—health.

“Put mental health first,” she said. “It’s okay sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself because it shows how strong of a competitor and person you really are.”

And to that, I just want to say thank you, Simone. 

Thank you for your bravery. 

Thank you for your awareness of the state of your heart and mind, and for risking skepticism.

Thank you for showing the world what it means to prioritize mental health.

I don’t know you, but as someone who struggles with anxiety myself, I am so darn proud of you and grateful for your courageous example. 

In a world where we condemn “quitters” as being weak, sometimes we fail to see how much strength it takes to know when to step back in a gesture that says, “I’m not OK, but I’m working on it.”

And for that, Simone’s bold decision deserves every bit as much applause as a gold medal would have.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Casey Huff

Casey is Creative Director for Her View From Home. She's mom to three amazing kiddos and wife to a great guy. It's her mission as a writer to shed light on the beauty and chaos of life through the lenses of motherhood, marriage, and mental health. To read more, go hang out with Casey at: Facebook: Casey Huff Instagram: @casey.e.huff

Our Kids Need Us to Stop Performance Based Parenting

In: Kids, Teen, Tween
Stressed out teenager with head in hands

Parents, can I ask a favor? Can we stop pushing the goalposts back for our kids? Can we stop changing the definition of what success looks like? Can we stop competing with each other for whose kid scores the highest, gets recruited by what team, wins what award? I get it. I get sucked in, too. I worry about my teenagers surviving in this cutthroat, competitive world. But I noticed something recently. When success is only defined as getting on the best team or achieving the highest grade, the opportunity to feel successful is limited. And when you feel like...

Keep Reading

People Like Meghan Markle Who Speak Out About Mental Health Need Support, Not Judgment

In: Living
Meghan Markle

As someone who has never watched a single royal family anything, ever, until last night’s interview between Meghan Markle and Oprah—can I just say this: FAR more than I’m concerned with whether Meghan was being truthful (for what it’s worth, I thought she came across very authentically), I’m concerned with the lack of human compassion I’ve seen today in the fallout. On TV, across social media, in news headlines, and in personal conversations—I have seen and heard some of the nastiest, least empathetic words said about her.  And as someone who has struggled with mental health myself, it stings. I...

Keep Reading

Are We Encouraging Society to Sexualize Our Girls When They Play Sports?

In: Journal, Kids
Are We Encouraging Society to Sexualize Our Girls When They Play Sports? www.herviewfromhome.com

Recently I read an article called, “Dear Target, Why Are All Your Shorts For Girls So…Short?” In the piece, the author wrote a cheeky (no pun) article about the lack of options for tween girl’s athletic shorts at Target. Her post has since been shared thousands of times, and the comment thread is heated. In today’s online climate, it’s not a surprise. What did take me aback, though, wasn’t her stance on wanting to find mid-thigh length basketball shorts for her daughter; instead it was the way in which so many responded. Most seemed in agreement that there were not...

Keep Reading