Recently gymnastics legend Simone Biles was a sufferer of a neurological condition she referred to as the twisties. This condition caused her to bow out of several events she was to participate in at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Several other public figures have suffered from mental health issues as well. Singer Demi Lovato, basketball player Paul George, and tennis star Naomi Osaka, just to name a few. Countless people suffer from mental health issues every day especially since the onset of COVID19. Biles’s episode was alarming because from most accounts she is the world’s all-time greatest gymnast. She has executed unprecedented gymnastic routines. She is supremely talented and had confidence. Why else would one wear a GOAT emblem on their warmup suit unless they have supreme confidence? Despite this, she still succumbed to this mental ailment. There was not a shortage of opinions on her struggles. Her struggles made me gain even more appreciation for someone like Jackie Robinson. The mental anguish and torment he endured as he broke MLB’s color barrier had to be excruciating. The mental fortitude it took to perform under those conditions was awe-inspiring.
At first I thought Simone should have powered through whatever issues she was having. After all she is the GOAT. The late great Kobe Bryant once said the basketball court was his sanctuary. His games on his court days during his Eagle Colorado sexual assault case were impressive despite his obvious distractions. I believed since he was able to perform at a high level despite his issues, Simone being another supreme athlete could have too. Being in the gym is where she excelled and gained her legendary status. The truth is, none of us are immune from mental illness, I can vouch for that. Some are just better at dealing with what ails them.
In a sport where acrobatic feats are common place. The complexity of those routines sometimes result in serious injury, up to and including paralysis or worse death. Your concentration must be meticulous. At that time Simone couldn’t tap into her mental ability as well as she would have liked so she sat out some of her competitive events in Tokyo. Now the only flipping I may do is flipping pancakes or hamburgers, but I felt I could relate to Simone’s plight to some degree. It’s easy to criticize someone when you haven’t had a similar experience. This is one of the reasons racial topics are so contentious.
God quickened me and had me think back to the end of March in 2020. Right at the beginning of COVID lockdowns here in America I myself had an anxiety attack. I was consumed by social media and the news. For the 1st time in my life I felt I wasn’t in control of my life.This virus was, and I felt helpless to do anything about it. In actuality God is and has been running my life all along. I called myself a man of faith but I didn’t rest in God’s word and put my trust in him. James 1:22 states, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Barry White said it another way. Practice what you preach. I had heard the word and knew God would fight my battles. But I didn't exhibit the true faith needed to be strong during this season. A person can get all the instructions necessary to carry out a task, but if they execute the procedure improperly they will not achieve the desired result. I failed to realize though I am a mere mortal and yes I am limited. I serve a God with no limits so put my trust in Him to protect me, my family and friends from this pestilence.
I’ll never forget the feeling I had that Sunday morning coming in from work with my heart racing. Telling my wife I believed I was having a heart attack. My blood pressure was absurdly high and all I could think was this was it. Or as Redd Foxx use to put it, this is the big one. My wife drove me to the ER but couldn't escort me for obvious reasons. Doctors at the ER gave me some medicine to calm me down, ensured my vitals were in a safe range and assured me I wasn’t having a heart attack. Later that evening I remember kneeling on the side of the bed in tears thanking God for sparing me, it was at that time that God was telling me I had to get a stronger prayer life. ESPN, the NBA and NFL are cool, but He reigns supreme. I wasn't giving him his due time.
As men we are led to believe we are strong and to not be moved by the subtleties of life. We are strong but often times we suppress our feelings for fear of being perceived as weak. I am guilty of that. My normal stressors along with evolution of this virus, culminated into an anxiety attack that would significantly hinder me for months. Worrying about getting sick, and catching COVID. I literally, attempted to worry myself to death instead. There was the constant feel of gas pressure on my chest which led me first to a cardiologist. He determined my heart was fine but of course I needed to lose weight and exercise. Problem was because of this condition it was hard to exercise. I couldn’t do so comfortably because of how I was feeling. I was popping TUMS like it was candy. I had to take melatonin to fall asleep. This eventually led me to a gastroenterologist.
He determined that I had no ulcers and this might be neurological. After months of suffering I saw my primary care physician and she prescribed me some anti-anxiety medication. After taking them and seeing a therapist I began to feel like my normal self again. Yes that feeling of uneasiness still rears its head during anxious moments I have, but I have better control of it. I’m not consumed by it. I have to continue to remember to let go, and let God handle what concerns me.
Mental health is important. We as a people don’t need to suffer in silence when the stresses of life are impacting us negatively because it can manifest into something greater. Some mass shootings occur because the perpetrator has quietly taken in so much mental anguish and expresses their discontent by murdering innocent people. Society tends to say people who are candid and/or overly emotional are obnoxious. They are always causing drama. Yes they can be a handful to deal with, but you know what you’re facing upfront. What they express is no sugarcoating. It’s real, it’s authentic. Kind of like our country after the events of 9-11. We saw the destruction and we know how it was carried out. So we formed the TSA to combat it. When you cling to things on the inside they tend to compound and spread unsuspectingly, potentially manifesting itself in a chaotic manner, ala COVID19. It’s not as vile and devastating as those attacks but it is a killer and life altering event all to itself. Despite it being silent and lying dormant for centuries, it has forever changed how the world conducts itself now. What you can’t see, is harder to fight against. I am working towards being more transparent with my wife, she nor anybody can help me with my issues if I don’t convey them. That's how mental health works. Don't ignore issues thinking they will just go away.
However you cope with mental health whether through God’s word, counseling, mediation, exercising, etc. Remember to take it serious. Requiring mental health assistance doesn’t mean you’re crazy. Crazy is trying to do a summersault in midair with your mind not in sync with your body. It means you’re open to being vulnerable and need help getting back on your feet. The mind controls the body and if your mind isn’t sharp you are a danger to yourself and those around you. Your body is a temple. Use your healthy mind to protect it.
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