Bubby and Bean ::: Living Creatively: Simone Biles and Prioritizing Mental Health

I can't stop thinking about Simone Biles and the incredible example she set by prioritizing her mental (and physical) health. I feel very inspired by her strength in doing what was best for herself (because guys, she doesn’t owe us anything), and also by her very publicly stating she withdrew because of her mental state as a result of excessive pressure. Explaining Simone's choices to my daughter (seen here at the beach, aka both her and my happy place for decompressing and calming our minds) came so easily to me, because to her, it made perfect sense. I can see a shift in the normalization of prioritizing and openly discussing mental health that didn’t exist in the world I grew up in, and I am so grateful for that.

I want to contribute to this shift myself, and be more open here and on my social media channels about my own mental health. As someone who has struggled with anxiety disorder my entire adult life and recently, depression as well (I even got on daily medication a couple of months ago), I want to be transparent and be part of the conversation. If you are comfortable, I would also love to talk with those of you who struggle as well, so feel free to email me, comment, or DM me on Instagram.

Thank you Simone, for doing what was best for YOU, and for being a role model for my daughter and millions of others. You are the definition of greatness.