This past weekend, tennis player Naomi Osaka made headlines when she decided not to answer questions from the press during the French Open. She was charged a $15,000 fine and later decided to withdraw from the tournament stating that her mental health was at risk.

I am glad that someone finally took a stand in the name of mental health and I hope that this will change the way that media coverage is handled going forward. If it’s not enough to play in front of thousands of watchers, not to mention the millions watching on television, athletes have to conclude the games by speaking to the press. Many times they haven’t even had the opportunity to talk to or hug their families, shake hands with their opponents, or anything before they are being pulled in various directions to answer questions from the media. 

Naomi is not the first athlete to say that this is overwhelming. Tiger Woods and Marshawn Lynch, who coined the phrase, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined”, are a few others that have spoken publicly about how invasive media can be at times. 

It is about time that people start to stand up for their own rights in the name of mental health. How many celebrities have overdosed or committed suicide because of the pressures that being famous entails? 

I understand that the press has a job to do, but should your job be done at the expense of someone’s mental health? I think not.

I’m glad to see so many people, not just celebrities, protecting their energy and creating healthy boundaries to make sure that they are putting themselves first. This is a lesson to many of us who often put ourselves last on the list of those we care for daily. Especially those that work in the education, health, corporate, and customer service industries. Technology has made it extremely difficult to unplug. I have literally had people track me from email, to text, to social media, when I didn’t respond immediately to a message that was sent. I even saw one person post on on her page that she was in labor and if anyone wanted to get in contact with her, her response time would be delayed. Can you imagine trying to have skin to skin with your newborn baby, with a laptop in your lap, responding to emails from your employer? Where do we draw the line?

How many times have you attended events specifically because you didn’t want to let someone else down, knowing that you were tired, not in the mood, and probably dealing with your own issues? 

I can remember one of my family members referring to me as a “ride or die” because I was always there for them no matter what. I even drove over two hours to make it to events that were important to them. Others have said, “You do more than try to be a good person, you try to be the best person”.

Sometimes I honestly have to ask myself why. I think it’s because I never want anyone to feel unloved or unsupported. I’ve already shown and proven my love, yet I always go above and beyond. If I’m at an event, I don’t know how to just sit and enjoy. I find myself staying up late at night or getting up early in the morning to cook or bake, helping decorate if I get there early, or helping to clean if I’m staying late.

I went back and read text messages a few days ago. I was offering my help to a friend, letting them know that I was there to support them and they didn’t have to go through things alone. I didn’t see any of those messages coming from the other end.

There are many things that I’ve had to suffer through alone, only for people to find out later and ask why I didn’t tell them. My simple answer, because you never asked. 

We have to stop assuming that people are okay because they don’t cry out for help or complain. There are many of us that suffer in silence, take the punches, and learn to bounce back better than before.

This past weekend, Naomi was that voice. She used her platform as so many call for athletes to do, and I feel that this move, spoke louder than any move that she could make on the court. Because Naomi spoke up, other athletes are coming forward to talk about their anxiety. She is also getting support from the Meditation App, which is offering to pay the fines for athletes that decide not to participate in post-match interviews. Nike is also providing their support.

You don’t have to clock in everyday, you don’t have to go to every party, you don’t have to stay in one-sided relationships or friendships. You don’t have to stay at a job that is not fulfilling you nor a representation of you you are and what you stand for. There are some days where you won’t be feeling it and that’s ok. Will some people be mad? Yes. Will they get over it? Hopefully, and if not, those aren’t the kind of people that you should surround yourself with anyway. 

Surround yourself with people that genuinely care about your well-being and nurture you in the ways that will help you to flourish and grow. Prioritize yourself and your needs so that you will have something to give to others.

How are you prioritizing yourself? Let me know in the comments. In my book “Not in Vain”, I wrote a passage titled, “It’s Okay to Say No”. It comes with an accompanying affirmation that will help you to release the guilt of not being able to be everything to everyone and having grace for yourself. It is available on Amazon linked here and the companion journal is  also available on Amazon linked here. Please check them out and leave me a review to let me know if they spoke to you in any way.