Strong Minds, Strong Bodies: Empowering Females in Sport During Mental Health Awareness Month

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to break the stigma, ignite conversations, and elevate the importance of mental wellness across all communities. Of course, Relentess Apparel's community is females who pursue activity and sport as a way to be and feel empowered, so this post is for you. 

The Invisible Strength of Female Athletes

Behind every jump, sprint, run, major point is a story of perseverance, not just on the field, but within. Females athletes often carry the added pressure of societal expectations, body image scrutiny, gender inequality, and historically an underrepresented voice in the world of sport. 

As I eluded to in my store's "About" section, my experience in pursuit of an Olympic medal was wrought with challenging dynamics that challenged my mental health, and have left residual behaviours I notice today. For example, even when I know I have an idea/method/opinion that would be of value to a situation, and if this is in opposition to the thinking of a male leader, I can be terrified to act with authority and conviction for fear of the reprisal that I had become so used to from men whose egos were so easily bruised by a women who "knew a thing a two".

Mine and Patricia's Olympic journey included depression. Patricia was diagnosed during a world cup event in Europe about one year away from the start of the Rio Olympics. We spent that entire year, in what felt like a threesome of me, her, and her depression; it was like a back pack that we carried with us (of course, her more so than me), on and off the water, to competitions, in many conversations, and then of course, Patricia took that back pack home with her every day. What I learned through that experience is that:

1. the depression is not the person and the person deserves grace, understanding and support to be who they are with it
2. mental health is part of the performance package: to carry on like it does not exist or to shuffle it under a rug and carry on does not do justice to your training. Your training needs to be designed with the depression in mind because it is part of the equation just like if you were returning from a flu or stress fracture; you have to adapt to the new state of being and work within those parameters, not some fake set of rules that represents an ideal scenario that you are not living
3. you can still have fun and do great things when not in a fully healthy state mentally. Not every day and moment was bad; we aimed to highlight and focus on the good that happened, to track our progress by writing the small things down (showcased in the "belief wall" picture with this post), and in doing so, reminded ourselves daily that no matter how many bad moments there were, we were still creating exceptional outcomes
4. Patricia will always be my dear friend way before she is my path to victory, and I will always support her to be her best self no matter the real or perceived cost to myself

So what can you do? How can we empower each other through community? 

Let's celebrate not only the victories and records - but also the quiet courage it takes to show up and do the small stuff when things feel heavy. Empowerment means creating spaces where women can talk openly, support one another, and thrive together. 

Start conversations: in your team, your gym, your workplace...about mental health and self-care

Share resources: helplines, local therapists, or meditation apps with your community

Highlight the small victories: let someone know when they have done something that made you smile, made your day easier, celebrate a goal achievement, or help someone see that it was even a goal worth celebrating! 

Lastly, this month is not about having all the answers; it's an on-going, forever conversation that involves asking questions, listening and growing together. For women in sport, this month is a chance to remember that mental wellness is not a barrier that needs to be overcome to achieve greatness, but rather a part of the holistic package of being human. So no matter where you are on your physical activity journey - know this: You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to feel. You are not alone.