Take it from Naomi Osaka: “Mental health is as important as physical health”

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and Naomi Osaka is reminding us all to make mental health a priority. How The first ambassador of the Maybelline “Brave Together” brand.the tennis star will support the sweetness brand in its latest campaign in an effort to make skilled mental health resources available to those combating anxiety and depression.

“I think most people don’t know that mental health is just as important as physical health, and in some ways it may be more important,” Osaka said People Magazineadding: “…sometimes there are a little bit of negative connotations (anxiety and depression) and I feel it’s important for people to know that these feelings or simply mental health usually are completely normal and we shouldn’t have a look at people as in the event that they are weak or they couldn’t speak about their feelings.

“(For) a brand as big as Maybelline… to create such an amazing show about it and to want to talk about it and bring it to the forefront is definitely very powerful,” she added.

Throughout her profession, Osaka has publicly faced many vulnerable moments which have drawn attention to her mental health. In 2021, the tennis star withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments to deal with mental fitness. A yr later, Osaka broke down in tears after fans heckled her throughout the 2022 Indian Wells tennis competition.

“I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly,” the athlete wrote in a 2021 statement. “The truth is that since the US Open in 2018, I have suffered from long bouts of depression and it has been really hard for me to cope.”

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Today, the four-time Grand Slam champion feels “fortunate” to have “been learning about mental health for several years now” and is now equipped with the tools and resources to cope with it. While the star incorporates various elements of mental health care into her lifestyle, she admits that her mental health journey is still ongoing, especially when it involves social media.

“I would say I’m not as involved in social media anymore, just because I felt like it was very negative, I guess when people started knowing more about me,” she explained. “So I type of dissociated myself from it. I do know that in some ways social media is inevitable, so I suppose I’m still learning.

In July 2023, Osaka also took on a brand new role: “mom” to her daughter Shai, whom she shares with rapper Cordae. Although motherhood has freed her from latest joys and self-confidence, the 27-year-old admits that it has also revealed latest stresses. As a self-proclaimed “overthinker,” Osaka revealed that she already plans to discuss with her daughter about mental health.

“I want (Shai) to feel like her feelings are valid and nothing she’s going through should make her feel isolated,” she explained. “I think the most important thing is that I want her to feel supported throughout her journey and her feelings because I think everyone goes through their own life and we all just want to feel supported in that journey.”

As an advocate for mental health in sports and beyond, Osaka ultimately learned that it’s okay to not be OK.
“It has become clear to me that literally everyone either suffers from mental health issues or knows someone who does,” she wrote in a private essay for the Journal. Time magazine.. “We all have moments where we cope with issues behind the scenes. Each of us, as humans, is going through something on some level.