As most of you know, I am not big when it comes to talking about what is on the news or about politics but that is usually because I don't know how or what to talk about when it comes to those things. I just leave those things to my dad and big brother to talk about. Lately, though, I have been interested in the Olympics and what Simon Biles has been doing and saying. Some of you might think it is all politics or just the news but I truly believe it is not.
I believe wholeheartedly in what she is saying because I can relate. Mental Health is not something to mess with. I feel like I can relate a lot to Simon Biles and totally understand. Here is my story of Mental Health. I have had anxiety I think since college if not before but I finally admitted it when I was out of college living by myself at 27 years old. I didn't admit it right on my own. It took me a few months to a year to admit it because I was scared of what people would think of me, even my family. I was scared that if they knew I was on medicine for something like anxiety they would not believe me. I had the help of my Sister in Law, even though I never told her till now if she is reading this, to understand what I was going through and to get help. I had to face the fact that I needed help and that 1st help was with medicine.
Since then I have researched things to help with my anxiety. I have researched probiotics and gut health that I stuck with for about a year but it wasn't for me. Then I researched yoga and tried some of that out and I am still doing it on and off to this day because it does help me relax and loosen up my muscles. I have also researched a lot on the brain and learned how it is an actual sickness and that it is caused by there not being enough things in your brain. The medicine helps with adding more of those things. Now that is all the good things that I Have done to help myself and that other people have helped me with but it wasn't always that easy.
I said the hard things were admitting that I had it because people would say oh you aren't believing in God enough or you are just worrying too much, you can control your worrying and you know what you can't when it is a health problem. People would also say "stop worrying so much". I would also wonder why in a big group of people I would be quiet and feel so stressed. It was because my anxiety was high. Too much was going on and too much noise at the same time. It wasn't til a little later that I learned that I could control that better too with help.
As a preschool teacher, I feel all of this too but in a different way. I have kids who look up to me so if I let them down I feel like it is my fault. I have parents who are looking for answers and what if I can't give them the answers they want. I work in a field that has a lot of turnover and that stresses me out mentally. So much mentally that I need to learn when to step back and take care of myself. I will be honest because I have moved onto other jobs just because that job in that daycare center got too hard for me, whether not enough teachers or change in admin. Whatever it was, I had to stand up for myself and say "enough is enough" and I did.
So all I have to say is "I don't understand Simon Biles but then again I do." I understand all the pressure that she was under. Yeah, I didn't have the world watching me but to me, with my anxiety, it sometimes feels that way with a large group of people. Yeah, I didn't get treated like she did in any way but again I had people that just wouldn't believe and I was scared to even talk about my problem for awhile.
I am sorry if I am talking about Simon Biles too much or if I am sharing her picture too many times on my Facebook page but then again I am not sorry. She is someone that wasn't scared to stand up for her mental health and back down when she just couldn't do it anymore. She is probably a big role model of mine in the big pictures of things. That is important for me because if you know me you know I don't have a favorite actor or actress. I usually don't keep up with the trends in those things but after this year's summer olympics, I do have a favorite sports person. It is Simon Biles!
