PHOTOSMichael Phelps Details His Struggles With Depression & Anxiety — 'I Never Openly Talked About It'
April 18 2019, Updated 6:26 p.m. ET
Michael Phelps is continuing his quest to remain open and transparent about his own struggles with depression and anxiety. In a new interview, the Olympian expressed his desire to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Michael, 33, admitted it wasn’t always easy to speak openly about his own mental health battles. “I obviously put it away for a long time and never really openly talked about it,” he told People.
He only found the confidence to come forward after connecting with people who are in similar situations. “Hearing stories from people walking on the street or being in the airport, they will come up and share just a tidbit of what they have gone through or what a loved one has gone through,” Michael explained.
“I think it is awesome to be able to see and show that these people and heroes that people love and look up to are normal people,” he added. “We go through everyday struggles like normal people do.”
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The 23-time gold medalist also revealed what helps him cope when his own depression and anxiety feels overwhelming. “Swimming is always something that helps,” he said. "Working out is something for me that I have to do. Six or seven days a week right now. But that is all my body knows. It is all I did for 20 plus years.”
In 2018, while speaking at the fourth annual conference of the Kennedy Forum, Michael once again stressed the importance of speaking out and breaking the stigma surrounded mental illness.
"I think people actually finally understand it is real," he said at the time. "People are talking about it and I think this is the only way that it can change."
