WesternU Supporter to Help Boost Team USA at Beijing Olympics – Orange County Register

Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles withdrew from the team’s finals last summer, calling it the case of the twenties.

Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, citing depression and social anxiety.

NBA star Kevin loveHe said his anxiety and depression got so bad that he didn’t leave his bedroom for months.

As more elite athletes reveal their mental health struggles, it makes Dr David Baron, sports psychiatrist and director of the Western College of Health Sciences in Pomona, very upset. fun. It’s not because these athletes have been through dark times, Baron explains, but because they’ve found a way out, got expert help, and are removing the stigma attached to healthcare. mental health.

“We are starting to shift our direction so that the sports world realizes health,” said Baron, who will be taking a January 27 flight to Beijing to serve as Team America’s sports doctor/psychiatrist. Mental health is an extremely important component of physical health. in the winter of 2022 Olympic Games.

Baron will stay at the Olympic Village, set up like a no-go bubble for city views, and return to his home in Pasadena on February 24.

He brings his decades of experience with him, including appearances at the 1984, 1992, 1996, 2004 and 2012 Olympics, sometimes working on doping control, other times treating physical ailments. and spirit. After the bombing during the 1996 summer game in Atlanta, he eased a lot of nervous tension, he recalls.

With the challenges of pandemic caused by corona virus, his job becomes more complicated, says Baron. He knows that isolation from loved ones and inability to socialize with other athletes, plus worries about contracting COVID-19, will be on the list of concerns for athletes. members affect their mental health and possibly their performance.

COVID-19 has disrupted exercise regimens due to social distancing, adding to emotional stress, Baron said.

“It affects them, especially athletes who shave ten or hundreds of seconds off their time to win a medal,” he added.

Biles dropped out of the Tokyo team competition in July, because of mental health issues she said would reduce her performance or cause her to have an accident. She returned for an individual event later in the game, winning her seventh Olympic medal. Osaka’s social anxiety has added to her fear of press conferences. And Love, as the Minnesota Werewolf and Cleveland Cavalry, struggled a lot, even experienced a panic attack on the court.

Although Baron did not attend last summer’s Olympics, he surmised that Biles was suffering from personal problems and was unable to concentrate – a stark example of how mental health affects the physical.

“She was putting herself at risk by not focusing on the laser,” he said. “Emotionally, the things she went through clearly affected her abilities.”

When American diver Greg Louganis hit his head on a spring chessboard at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and bled, a media storm erupted years later when Louganis revealed he was gay. and was diagnosed as HIV positive six months before the Olympic Games.

The incident did not expose anyone at the Olympics to HIV, and Louganis was treated with a new drug that saved his life. He was inducted into the diving hall of fame and won a gold medal that year.

“His ability to focus with the laser, to cancel out everything else — it was part of his sporting genius,” says Baron.

Divers, runners, skiers and skaters picture their routine in their minds, like running a mental video over and over again, Baron says. In addition, he teaches cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, such as mindfulness.

“A CBT therapist challenges negative thoughts,” he explains. “So it involves quieting your mind.”

To ease anxiety, Baron advises athletes to control what they can and not to delve into a “what if” hole, which can get in the way of a top performance.

Basketball players think about plays and shoots during practice, under the supervision of a coach. But in the game, Baron tells them to just play and not think too much. For elite Olympic athletes who have sacrificed themselves to attend the games, his advice is simple:

“I told them to enjoy it,” he began. “To keep perspective. Do your best. And then in 10 or 20 years, you can say to your children or grandchildren, ‘I was part of that Olympic team.’ “

Ashley Samson, a kinetics professor with a major in sports psychology, works with student athletes at Cal State Northridge and is very busy. The university’s counseling center received more calls to book appointments during the pandemic than in previous years, she noted.

She said social media can interfere with the mental state of a famous athlete. But those who spoke about their struggles overcame stigmas and faced hateful comments on social media, she said.

Part of an athlete’s competitive makeup is having to push yourself and push boundaries. That can be a double-edged sword and make an athlete more susceptible to anxiety and depression, says Samson.

“It’s all good and good, but the point is they don’t know when it’s good enough,” Samson said. With Biles and others having achieved much, they carry the weight of high expectations going forward and sometimes those expectations cannot be matched.

“The expectations are getting bigger and bigger. Now it becomes ‘you have to do these things every day to meet people’s expectations,’ explains Samson. “Getting to the top of the mountain is one thing. Staying on top is another matter.”

Samson said the advice she offers student athletes is a good one for everyone during the COVID-19 omicron boost. When people stay home or don’t see loved ones or friends, the emotional toll can be enormous.

“Try to be patient with yourself. Be flexible in your mind. We challenge rigid thinking,” she said. “I tell my athletes not to get upset because you’re emotional; admit you’re having a hard time. ”