Michael Phelps on the pandemic’s impact on mental health struggles: ‘It honestly destroys me’
his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, says he’s seen “too many articles” about suicide during the pandemic. Most recently, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, made headlines when she spoke publicly about her past suicidal ideation.
“When I see somebody like that, yes, I do feel for them because, again, I know what that feels like and it does break my heart,” he told USA TODAY of the former Meghan Markle. “I can understand to some degree what that feels like. It is very scary and you kind of really don’t know what to do.”
Some people don’t believe Meghan was suicidal, and that can be so dangerous
He also thinks stars coming forward with these issues can help break down stigma surrounding mental health.
“The fact that there are so many celebrities or so many people standing up and talking about the struggles that they have — I think that’s a way for us to really break down that stigma,” he said. “That’s something that’s been very challenging, still to this day I think it’s hard.”
He said coming forward with his struggles helped him learn and grow.
“Once we can really take care of our mental health as we do our physical health, then I feel like the opportunities will be endless of what we can really do.”
And just like his mental health, his physical health hasn’t taken a backseat during the pandemic. Phelps first retired after the 2012 Olympics before making a comeback in April 2014. He retired from competitive swimming again after the Rio Olympics in 2016.
“I know that my body works and my mind works on having 5, 6 days… usually 7 days a week of some kind of working out,” he said, lifting weights, elliptical, stationary bike and swimming are some of his go-tos. “It’s something that makes me me and the best me… I still take it very seriously.”
Phelps’ children, Maverick,1, Beckett, 3 and Boomer, 4, also keep him active.
“It’s been a great way to keep my energy up,” he said. “They’re constantly on the go.”
Sticking with routines during the pandemic has also been important for his mental health.
“Whenever I get out of a routine, I kind of spiral,” he said, explaining he went from traveling 100 days of the year when he was swimming to not at all when the pandemic hit. “There was massive significant changes for me, so my emotional and mental health kind of went on a roller coaster throughout everything… It’s been very challenging just because there have been so many unknowns.”
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