May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is a critical component for everybody, and professional athletes are no different in that regard.
Let's take a look at a few pro athletes who have been outspoken about the topic of mental health, and how they support work-life balance.
Kevin Love, Miami Heat
Kevin Love has struggled with his mental health at times during his terrific NBA career. To ensure others who battle mental health issues have access to the resources they need to overcome those struggles, he started the Kevin Love Fund in 2022.
His own high school experience — during which he felt there weren't enough counselors to provide adequate support for every student in need — inspired him to create the Kevin Love Fund, an organization that provides mental and physical health resources for students and teachers.
While playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Love opened up about the importance of supporting work-life balance as well. "Staying present is not an easy thing to do," Love said in 2019. "I think we all try and find that, but my biggest thing is just finding balance."
Love has certainly found balance in 2023, as he's a key contributor on a Miami Heat team that's on an improbable run in the NBA Playoffs. Miami remains a longshot to win the NBA Finals, according to the odds on the best sports betting sites, but as a No. 8 seed, the team has already defied the odds on many sports betting apps by upsetting the top-seeded Bucks in the first round.
His mental health is hopefully in a good place as the Heat continue on their unlikely NBA playoff run.
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer
Even the most decorated Olympian of all time isn't above depression. Michael Phelps won 23 gold medals in swimming, but while he was thriving in the pool, he was also struggling with depression. Phelps revealed in 2015 that he contemplated suicide after the 2012 Olympics in London.
Since opening up about his struggles with depression and anxiety, Phelps has been a leading advocate for mental health awareness. His charity, the Michael Phelps Foundation, works with Boys & Girls Clubs to promote healthy lives for children, both physically and mentally. Phelps advocates for work-life balance as a key component of a healthy lifestyle.
Ashleigh Barty, WTA Tennis Champion
Ashleigh Barty battled depression and unrealistic body image expectations throughout her brilliant professional tennis career, which she chose to cut short by retiring at age 25 while holding the No. 1 ranking in the WTA. She won three Grand Slams before retiring last March and went out on top after winning her home slam at the Australian Open.
Tennis is one of the most mentally demanding sports as other stars, including Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, have also opened up about their mental health struggles. Barty's way of creating a work-life balance involved stepping away to address her mental health. She took a multi-year hiatus from tennis to play cricket earlier in her career, then returned to tennis refreshed and motivated. After spending more than two years at the top of the women's game and accomplishing all she had set out to do, Barty felt burned out again and chose to step away for good last year.
This is how Barty created her work-life balance -- by getting back to the top of the mountain and retiring into the sunset.
