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Michael Phelps has been vocal about his struggles with mental health for several years now. The American has consistently used his platform to raise awareness about issues like depression and anxiety, and he recently penned a strong note for the National Mental Health Awareness month.
Phelps is widely considered to be one of the greatest swimmers of all time, having won 28 Olympic medals and 26 World Championship titles. In 2018, the 39-year-old revealed that he had struggled with anxiety and depression throughout his career, and had been suicidal in 2012 after his overwhelming success at the London Olympics.
Recently, Michael Phelps made his feelings known about his own hardships with mental health. In an Instagram post, he shared:
"Throughout my career I became very good at compartmentalizing, a lot of times I wasn't my authentic self."
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In the caption to the post, he encouraged people to seek help when they need it, writing:
“It's hard to face the things you've learned to hide away - shame, trauma, the symptoms of something larger. But I've learned that the more you avoid, the tighter its hold on you.”
Phelps went on to add that he was partnering with Talkspace, an online therapy company, for this mental health month, to encourage people who are struggling to seek therapy.
Michael Phelps shares how therapy ‘saved’ his life
Michael Phelps led an incredible career in the pool. He competed at four back-to-back Games and walked away from the sport as the most decorated Olympian of all time. However, while he was experiencing success as a swimmer, the American was struggling with severe depression in his personal life.
Talking to People in 2022, Phelps shared that he had been in a particularly dark place in 2014, and it was therapy that eventually helped him recover, saying:
"I found myself in a very dark spot in 2014. It was the lowest point that I have been to so far, I felt like I didn't want to be alive. I checked myself into a treatment center, and afterward I continued to see a therapist because I saw how much it helped me lower my shoulders. It helped me feel comfortable in my own skin, to be my authentic self. Therapy saved my life.”
Michael Phelps called time on his swimming career in 2016. The American now lives in Arizona with his wife Nicole and four children, and continues to use his platform to raise awareness about mental health.
