American retired competitive swimmer Michael Phelps was not someone who grew up talking about mental health. In fact, he did not initially want to get help. Not even when he felt depressed and did not want to be alive anymore.
Michael told POPSUGAR, “Prior to going to therapy, I never wanted to do it. It wasn’t something I wanted, to go and sit on a couch and have a conversation. I was always somebody who tried to find ways myself to do it and was very stubborn for a long time and had a hard time communicating.”
Eventually, he knew he needed professional help. He was pushing his loved ones away and nearly shutting down. The athlete eventually revealed about his mental health and allowed himself to be vulnerable. He found that the therapy not only helped him tremendously but also saved his life.
Michael said, “I’m still here. I’m still on this planet, so that’s a major change in how [therapy] has impacted my life.”
He still consults with his therapist and uses the app called Talkspace when he is traveling. The app allows users to connect with professional mental health therapists and communicate with them through text, audio, or video messages.
The most decorated Olympian also credited his wife, Nicole Johnson, for being his major emotional support system.
He added, “Yeah, I went through these things, but I was still able to be extremely successful and to do things that I was passionate about and be able to accomplish my goals.”
He is pretty passionate about saving water. He has been preaching the message that water is a valuable resource. He said, “There are places all over the world that don’t have water. It’s sad how we look at it as we almost take it for granted that we have access to so much clean water, and we just don’t really think about it.”
Also, he is passionate about helping to end the stigma surrounding mental health issue and getting professional help. He has been spreading the message that “it’s OK to not be OK,” and everyone deals with their own issues; sometimes, you need to seek help through Talkspace.
Michael added, “If I can save one life, that’s something that’s so powerful. I’ve been amazed and so honored to hear the stories of people, whether they’ve had family members or themselves gone through struggles, and just thanking me. And for me, that’s 1,000 times better than ever winning a gold medal.”
He said, “I know every single day if I wake up in the morning, work out, doesn’t matter if it’s 20 or 30 minutes, I know I’m going to be more productive throughout that day.” “I’m probably happier now than I’ve really ever been on a consistent basis, just because I’m doing what I love,” Michael said. “I still have dark phases, but not as much. I think that’s the biggest thing, that the good days outweigh the bad days by far for me now. But I’m also more prepared. I think that’s something different than I was before. I’m just more prepared for anything that’s going to happen because I’ve been through it enough so far.”
