What do Naomi & Andrew have in common?

Both recently went public with their mental health issues.

Royalty-free image; photographer unknown

Tennis player Naomi Osaka is a 4-time Grand Slam tournament winner.

On May 31st, she withdrew from the French Open after a dispute about appearing at news conferences. An introvert, Naomi later wrote on Instagram that she had suffered from bouts of depression since 2018 and that she would take some time away from the tennis court.

When I heard about that, I thought “Oh, hell yes. She’s taking care of herself and her mental health”!

Photo by Maarten de Boer

Then there’s Andrew Rannells.

Andrew is a celebrated and award-winning Broadway and TV actor. He wrote an opinion piece on his mental health during the pandemic that was published recently in Sunday’s New York Times. Read it here.

These are just 2 public figures who recently made me cheer for their courage in not only prioritizing their mental health but sharing about it, too.

I have also struggled with mental health and made it public. Over the past few years, I’ve shared several times about my own mental health struggles getting off of anti-depressants (click on the bold to read about it.)

Here’s the take-away: we all struggle.

There are parts inside of everyone that are hurting, scared, lonely, confused.

Before the pandemic and most definitely now.

If this is is you, know that you’re not alone.