"There are still days where I don’t feel like me" - When Michael Phelps opened up about facing challenges in improving his mental health

Michael Phelps once opened up about the challenges he faced while improving his mental health. Phelps has consistently advocated the importance of mental health for athletes while emphasizing the process as a journey rather than an episode. Phelps experienced depression for the first time following his appearance at the Athens Games, where he experienced post-Olympic depression.

He also experienced the same episode after the 2012 London Olympics to the extent that he took retirement, only to return in 2014. The legendary swimmer resorted to an in-patient treatment center for 45 days in 2014 and took the help of medicine and therapy.

In 2022, Phelps reflected on the tough period in his life and stated that although he is in a better place now, he still struggles on a few days while being aware that his depression won't vanish away easily. In an interview with Healthline, Phelps mentioned:

"There are still days where I don’t feel like me,” he explained. “My depression and anxiety aren’t going to just disappear," Phelps said. "I’m still learning to just be a human. For most of my career, I saw myself as a swimmer. But I’m not a swimmer, I’m a person — and I have emotions like everyone else.”

“My journey outside of water is really just beginning,” he continued. “So I’m trying to give myself forgiveness when I slip up, or don’t do something perfectly.”

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Michael Phelps gets real with the approach towards mental health during his competitive swimming years

Michael Phelps of the United States during the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

In an interview with Healthline, Michael Phelps opened up about his approach toward mental health during the years when he was competing. He said that speaking of anxiety and depression would have made him appear weak in front of his contemporaries.

"I can speak from an athlete perspective of being a male and an athlete. If I was to speak up during my career, I would feel like it would be a sign of weakness…and we’re giving our competitors that edge, and in sports or basically kind of in battle, it’s like you can’t give your competitors that edge,” he said.

"I think [the stigma] is dropping a little bit and for me, it’s incredible to see that. It’s incredible to see people talking about their own journey their own way, and sharing their own stories,” Phelps added.

Further, the Olympian also highlighted the changing notion towards mental health in recent times.