HomeBlogPatient“The Best is Yet to Come”: Moving Forward After Significant Life Events “The Best is Yet to Come”: Moving Forward After Significant Life Events July 10, 2024Patient This summer, the world’s elite athletes are arriving in Paris and dreaming of leaving with medals of gold, silver and bronze hanging from their necks. These medals represent the culmination of years and years of planning, preparation, training, and dream-chasing. The question is, when the games are over, what is next? For some athletes, whether they have won a medal or not, such thoughts can lead to depression. Olympic Athletes and Depression Olympic swimmers Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps have both opened up about battling depression after competing in the Olympics. Franklin struggled after leaving the games in 2016 with disappointing results. She failed to reach the finals in the 200-meter backstroke, an event she won the gold medal in during the previous Olympics. Franklin also had to undergo double-shoulder surgery after the summer games. These challenges led to anxiety and depression. Through the experience, Franklin acknowledged that while life has its “highest highs,” it also has its “lowest lows.” “Every year of your life isn’t going to be the next best year,” she told NBC Atlanta. “Some aspects are, but there are also going to be some incredible challenges.” Likewise, Phelps recalled to CNN that his experience at the 2004 summer games left him “hungry for more” medals, leading him to push himself to his limit. This soon became the trend for every Olympics he competed in. Phelps would set enormous goals for himself and achieve many of them. Then, as soon as the games ended, he would begin to feel depressed, using drugs and alcohol to cope. “Really, after every Olympics, I think I fell into a major state of depression,” Phelps stated. “It would be just me self-medicating myself, basically daily, to try to fix whatever it was that I was trying to run from.” Phelps and Franklin’s battle with post-Olympic depression is not rare. Scott Goldman, sports psychologist and director of the Performance Psychology Center at the University Michigan, explained to The Atlantic that athletes can experience an emotional drop after the Olympics regardless if they leave with or without medals: “Think about the rollercoaster ride prior to the Olympics, and just how fast and hectic that mad dash is. This ninety-mile-per-hour or hundred-mile-per-hour ride comes to a screeching halt the second the Olympics are over. … [The athletes] are just exhausted; it was such an onslaught to their system. And when it’s all said and done, they’re just physiologically depleted, as well as psychologically.” Major Life Events Can Trigger Sadness According to Goldman, it’s not just Olympic athletes who can experience these feelings after completing major life events. Graduation, weddings, big projects, and other milestones are things we look forward to and work towards for so long, that a feeling of emptiness can be left when they are over. In Psychology Today, Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD. calls this “Post-Adrenaline Blues,” which could be triggered biologically due to the withdrawal of stress hormones, or psychologically due to feeling unsure of what to do next. Regardless of the cause, “the jubilation at being done is often quickly followed by a sense of letdown.” Solutions to Ease the Transition Just as Olympic athletes stretch and “cool-down” after physical activity, it is important to take time to care for ourselves to renew our energy. Kennedy-Moore states that there are ways to ease feelings of sadness, such as: Setting new goals – especially one that isn’t related to what you just achieved Eating well – a balanced diet can help improve your mental state of mind Exercising – even if it is a walk around the block Connecting with loved ones – especially if you feel like you’ve been neglecting them If you find that your feelings could be signaling something more serious such as depression, it is okay to ask for help. Speaking to a healthcare provider is a good first step. With care, you can move forward with new life experiences while enjoying the memories of past events. Missy Franklin explained that although going through her post-Olympic experience was hard, it gave her a new outlook on life: “The best is yet to come, and that could mean a million different things to me right now.” Our articles are for informational purposes only and are reviewed by our Medical Information team, which includes PharmDs, MDs, and PhDs. Do not make any changes to your current medications or dosing without consulting your healthcare provider. The GeneSight test must be ordered by and used only in consultation with a healthcare provider who can prescribe medications. As with all genetic tests, the GeneSight test results have limitations and do not constitute medical advice. The test results are designed to be just one part of a larger, complete patient assessment, which would include proper diagnosis and consideration of your medical history, other medications you may be taking, your family history, and other factors. If you are a healthcare provider and interested in learning more about the GeneSight test, please contact us at 855.891.9415. If you are a patient, please talk with your doctor to see if the GeneSight test may be helpful. Patient Which Mental Health Provider Should I Consider? A Symptom-Based Guide The support of a good healthcare provider can make all the difference when you’re struggling with your mental health. But how do you connect to one in a sea of ... Read more Patient One explanation for why we experience Side Effects? Understanding Your Genetic Response to Antidepressants Antidepressants often play an essential role in helping patients with their mental health conditions. But as many patients can attest, it’s frustrating when... Read more Patient Barriers at Every Turn: How Systemic and Social Factors Block Men from Mental Health Care Taking the important step of seeking care for mental health isn’t always an easy decision. 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Patient Which Mental Health Provider Should I Consider? A Symptom-Based Guide The support of a good healthcare provider can make all the difference when you’re struggling with your mental health. But how do you connect to one in a sea of ... Read more
Patient One explanation for why we experience Side Effects? Understanding Your Genetic Response to Antidepressants Antidepressants often play an essential role in helping patients with their mental health conditions. But as many patients can attest, it’s frustrating when... Read more
Patient Barriers at Every Turn: How Systemic and Social Factors Block Men from Mental Health Care Taking the important step of seeking care for mental health isn’t always an easy decision. Uncertainty about the need for care, social stigmas associated wi... Read more
Healthcare Provider Overcoming Side Effect Concerns: Leveraging Pharmacogenomic Insights to Inform Depression and Anxiety Medication Selection Whitnee Brown, a lifelong resident now practicing in Birmingham, Alabama has nearly an entire alphabet following her name, abbreviations for degrees and certifi... Read more
Patient Concerns about Mental Health Medication Side Effects Remain a Barrier to Getting Help for Those Diagnosed with Depression and Anxiety Lisa Roberts has raised a family, reached an impressively high level in her career, and was an anchor for her mother and other family members. When, within ... Read more
Patient Common Antidepressant Side Effects Taking an antidepressant can be an effective way to help treat a mental health condition like depression or anxiety. However, these medications can also cre... Read more
Patient MTHFR Mutations: Clinical Implications and Management Strategies MTHFR mutations—changes in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene—have gained increased attention in the medical community due to their potent... Read more
Patient Can an App Help Me Manage My Anxiety? Health and wellness smartphone apps have become so common that if you can name a health goal, desire or condition, you can probably find an app for it. N... Read more
Patient Black Trailblazers of Psychiatry and Mental Health: A Legacy of Healing and Advocacy As we celebrate Black History Month, we want to recognize a few individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of psychiatry and mental heal... Read more
Patient Mindful Moments: Tips for Anxiety If a well-meaning friend or family member has ever told you to “just breathe” when you’re feeling worked up or stressed out, you’d be forgiven if you felt l... Read more