"There was no blueprint on winning eight gold medals" - When Michael Phelps opened up on his trial-and-error mental health journey

Michael Phelps once talked about his trial-and-error-based mental health journey without any clear guidelines, in terms of his eight Olympic gold medals. The legendary swimmer has been a consistent advocate of athletes' mental health.

In an interview with Healthline.com, following the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he was an NBC Analyst, Phelps looked back on his roller-coaster mental health journey. He elaborated that there was no specified layout for him to win multiple gold medals, similarly, he did not have any outline for his mental health journey.

The most decorated Olympian further highlighted the impact of therapy, exercise, and journaling.

“Throughout my career, there was no blueprint on winning eight gold medals; it was kind of trial and error that we had to figure out a way to get there. So, for [my mental health] …I can’t expect to have every answer today, but I also have to give myself forgiveness because I’m still learning and at times that is hard,” he said.

“[I] want to be as perfect and I want to learn as fast as I can, but at times, that’s not possible. I’m constantly learning. I’m constantly growing,” he added.

"Let us be ourselves and listen" - When Michael Phelps opened up about letting athletes show their vulnerable side

Michael Phelps during the 2022 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Hall Of Fame Ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Getty Images)

After retiring, following the 2016 Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps returned to the Tokyo Games as a TV analyst for NBC, where American gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from competing to prioritize her mental health. In the wake of the incident, he highlighted the importance of letting athletes accept their emotions and their vulnerable side.

Phelps also highlighted the burden of expectations athletes carry on their shoulders. He said, via cbsnews.com:

"The easiest way for me to say this is athletes and Olympic athletes in general ... we need someone who we can trust, somebody that can let us be ourselves and listen," Phelps said.

"Allow us to become vulnerable. Somebody who's not going to try to fix us. We carry a lot of weight on our shoulders, and it's challenging. Especially when we have the lights on us and all of these expectations that are being thrown on top of us."

Throughout his illustrious career, Michael Phelps collected 28 Olympic medals, which makes him the most decorated Olympian of all time.