Anxiety, mental health….yada…yada…yada

Your post just gave me Climate Anxiety

Yeah that is why i had a bad race in my last 5k

I haven't read what Sydney wrote about it, but wasn't she 16 years old at the 2016 Olympics? I don't think I would extrapolate too much about our society's relationship to anxiety based on her Rio performance. It would be pretty shocking to me if a 16 year old competing at a global championship for the first time didn't underperform a bit due to the stress of the situation.

People have certainly hijacked legitimate mental illness diagnoses as an excuse, I don't think there's any doubt. But that's also representative of wide spread misunderstandings on the source for most common types of mental illness. Depression and anxiety are largely present in modern society because people have a general intolerance of what a judging mind would consider "negative emotions". Problem is what you resist, persists. You try to shove away thoughts and emotions you don't like and they'll come back even stronger the next time. You have to let yourself feel, people!

yes it is important to factor in age. Yes a 16 year old in the olympics is a big deal. Yes i think it is totally reasonable to cut her slack. That is a huge stage and can be overwhelming

but in more normalized environments and situations it seems normal anxiety levels are now excuses when in the past people coped with anxiety and stress better. And normal anxiety wasnt comsidered a mental health issue. It was just part of growing up

Just to be clear, she didn't "underperform". She lost on purpose, which is a different thing.

No, her age wasn't the issue. Anxiety is something she has always struggled with and she still struggles with.

No one is perfect. Everyone has a problem that they struggle with that they wish they didn't struggle with. Her's happens to be anxiety. For other people it's trying to lose weight, stopping smoking, kicking a drug habit, fear of public speaking, etc.

Too many people think "I don't have your problem, so your problem isn't a big deal. Just get over it." That's the wrong way to look at it. It would be nice if it were that easy, but it's not.

I'd suggest that the prevalence of mental illnesses in modern society are due to a clash between the static nature of our physiology and the exponential rate of cultural change. Our ancestors lived in tiny groups with rigid power structures and only had to absorb and process small amounts of very important information, and their brains adapted to those conditions over tens of thousands of years. We live in massive groups underpinned by vague, flexible, and transient power structures and must sift through mountains of useless information in order to make decisions whose nuances may not affect us in any meaningful way for decades. Our brains are doing something they were never prepared to do. We're future shocked

Umm, no. You have no idea what you are talking about. In the past people just buried it down and hid it from everyone until they had a nervous breakdown and/or drown it out with alcohol/drugs. There is nothing healthy about that.

More people have anxiety now because there is no way to disconnect/turn off. Back in the 80s, if you started feeling anxious about the world, you could just go home and close the door. The problems ended there. Not an option today. Can't turn on the tv, the phone, the computer without seeing how the world is going to hell. You social interactions also don't end when you get home like they used to. There's very little downtime for people anymore. Being constantly stressed is exactly how you develop problems with anxiety.

Its also more accepted now to admit when you are having issues. In the 80s, you would never admit it to anyone, even your doctor. Its a very good thing that people are recognizing that they need help and getting it.

I have no idea why you would be offended by this. You are angry about a quote pertaining to the Olympics from 7 years ago? You're upset by people who are seeking help admitting their flaws?

Seems like you are the one with issues. Maybe go see a therapist or something.

medicalizing an excuse is what it is. or simply a justification for not doing something you either do not like, or you find difficult. "i cant complete this math course because it is inducing anxiety and it's dangerous to my mental health."

What's interesting is that a lot of people grow up emotionally neglected, being taught that their emotions/feelings do not matter and are a burden, and that becomes ingrained in them. They grow up not knowing how to process emotions, which turns into mental illness. And it's the same types of parents that raised them that don't believe in mental illness.

That's not true at all. Sydney still has race anxiety and she is the best ever in the 400h.

Simone Biles had anxiety at the Olympics and she is the best ever gymnast.

On the other hand, there are plenty of athletes that are pretty bad at sports and they don't have any anxiety problems.

Whether or not you're good at something and being anxious are two different things.

I usedthe sydney mclaughlin example only because it made me think of the modern day anxiety and mental health. I dont know ber situation nor judging her or any other specific person.

It made me think of when anxiety was seemingly managed better. Not ignored but persinally managed. . It reminded me of how people do over react to situations that seem to be just part of developing. It also reminded eof specific instances where people knew they did something wrong but claimed “this makes meanxious” and it is a get out of jail for free card.

mental health and anxiety do exist. but if you even ask the “student life professionals” on a college campus they will tell you it is being abused

It wasn't managed better, it was ignored.

In some cases it's just people who are too wimpy and they simply need to toughen up.

In Sydney's case, it's much more than that. She had a full on nervous breakdown before the 2016 Trials.

Fortunately for her, in most things in life outside of track she is fine. It's racing that brings out the anxiety. Once she retires she will be a happy camper.

I vaguely recall her coach having to basically tell her she *had* to start in the final of the Trials but .aybe that was Rio.

That was the 2016 Trials. And it was actually regarding the first round of the Trials, not the Final.

When I raced outdoor track regularly I used to get anxious when I put on my Nike racing shoes. When the official starter said "on your marks" the anxiety went away.

Thank you for being a stellar example of why kids should stay in school. Your poor life decisions show others what not to do. Thank you for your contribution to society. :)