“I need that to be the best dad, best husband” – Michael Phelps on the importance of finding a routine
US swimmer Michael Phelps needs no introduction. He is a superstar of the pool with the most number of Olympic medals to his name.
He has a whopping 28 medals out of which 23 are gold. Phelps is inarguably one of the greatest swimmers of all time, if not the greatest.
In April this year, he sat down with Chris Paul for Bloomberg's first episode of 'How I Got Here with Chris Paul' to talk about his life as a competitive swimmer, his highest and lowest moments and how he became so passionate about mental health.
Michael Phelps spoke about the importance of having a normal routine as an athlete,
"I think trying to find a routine, some kind of routine, I think is always important. And as athletes, it's something that we know and we do every single day of our life, but finding some kind of normal routine, because then you get to feel like you,"
Phelps has been very outspoken about mental health. He further discussed that the moment one doesn't feel like themselves, it is a situation which can lead to a downward spiral. He believes that being one's "authentic self" is a part of self-care.
"Because the moment you start feeling not yourself, you start spiraling. So I think finding ways to be your authentic self is something that's so important. So self-care, right?"
He added that for him, he has to workout regularly as part of self-care. The swimmer now plays golf and occasionaly swims.
"I work out every day, six, seven days a week. That's something I have to do for me. I go and hit golf balls once or twice a week, put headsets in, and I just hit golf balls like I'm in my own world and sometimes I go swim."
Michael Phelps made a very important point when he added that caring for one's mental health helps and benefits one's relationships.
"But I need that in order to be the best dad that I can, to be the best husband that I can. So, you know, we want to give ourselves a chance. So how can we give ourselves a chance?"
"Loneliness has struck us more than anything" - Michael Phelps on home schools during lockdown
In 2020, the world had come to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shops, schools, theatres, stadiums - everything was closed. The entire planet had gone into a lockdown. Children were attending schools and adults were working from home via Zoom.
The feeling of belonging in a community had been sparse. This led to a major mental health crisis throughout the world.
Speaking on that, Chris Paul mentioned that even children's mental health was affected. He asked Michael Phelps what he thought was something that could help them.
Phelps answered saying that for him, bringing "normalcy" into life helped.
"Loneliness has struck us more than anything, in my opinion, over the last two years. And loneliness leads to depression, which leads to other things. So for me it's trying to do whatever you can to have normalcy in your life."
He went on to explain what normalcy meant to him.
"Like, what does that look like? You know, like, I have no idea. Like, you know what you do, right? Like, for me, I have three kids, two of them are at school. I mean, I play golf. I sit at home. I don't travel anymore."