Student Blog: What We Can Learn From Simone Biles

I, like many people, absolutely love watching the Olympics. One of my favorite sports to watch is women's artistic gymnastics. Earlier this week was the Olympic team final for this sport. I thought that the United States was a lock for gold, but then something shocking happened. Simone Biles pulled out of the event after one apparatus. She did this not because of injury, but rather due to not feeling right mentally. She did not want to risk her team's success by doubting herself, so she stepped back. Being aware of your mental state is not only important to athletes, but to performers too.

I think that sometimes "the show must go on" is taken too far, and people push through in order to perform or even just to go to rehearsal. If you go into a show or rehearsal not in the best state of mind, it is not going to be successful. You're going to question yourself. You are going to make more mistakes, and it is not only going to affect you, but the entire cast and crew. It is important to know your limits. If you are not mentally confident, don't perform. It might make the situation worse rather than better.

You shouldn't feel the need to sacrifice your mental health for others. I think that sometimes, like Biles, we feel like by being a part of a show, we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. We don't want to let anyone down by protecting ourselves. When you're in a show, you are in a family, and you don't want to let them down. We shouldn't allow this weight to push us to damage ourselves. We need to know when to say no.

I know that not every show has understudies, and sometimes, we absolutely have to perform, whether we are up for it or not. When I get into a situation like that, I like to do a little self-care before or between shows. For me, this is drinking lots of water and jamming out to happy music. I also like to treat myself with a sweet treat. Whatever you do for self-care and to reset, I highly recommend doing when you aren't feeling confident or mentally prepared. If you are still struggling, lean on your castmates. Part of our job as performers is to support one another no matter what. Simone's teammates could have been annoyed or hateful towards her because she dropped out for herself, but instead, they supported her decision and went out fiercer than ever.

I think that it is also important to discuss saying no to opportunities before the rehearsal process starts, especially as college students. I think that we sometimes feel the need to take up every opportunity because we are in college, and there are opportunities everywhere. As someone who has struggled a lot with her mental health and confidence for most of her college career, I can tell that having few commitments can be freeing. It can allow you to take a breath and focus on classes and friends more. This is not to say that you shouldn't take any opportunities. Just choose the opportunities you are most passionate about. Those are what are going to build your confidence and make you stand out. Focusing on the opportunities best for you is going to make you the greatest you can be, like Simone Biles.