By Anagha Rao | [email protected]

On July 28, Simone Biles dropped out of the Olympic Individual all-around to focus on her mental health. She later explained that she developed a severe case of the twisties. Currently, Biles is working on her “twisties” in the gym and focusing on her mental health and well-being. 

Elite athletes at the Olympics are under a lot of pressure to perform new skills and bring home gold medals for Team USA. This is especially true for Biles since she is considered the greatest gymnast in history. 

“Sometimes, when people think highly of you, it is challenging in a different way from when everybody expects you to fail,” said Jamie MoCrazy, a former professional freeskier from Utah. She is the winner of two Junior World Championships and became the first woman to compete a double backflip at the X Games. 

MoCrazy is the CEO and founder of the MoCrazy Strong method. She was competing in the junior world finals, and she was the first woman to include a double backflip in her skiing routine. When she was executing the maneuver, she over-rotated and landed on her head. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and was paralyzed. 

After suffering this injury, she turned her back to competitive skiing. During this time, she faced many mental struggles. “I felt a loss of identity, and I felt that when I turned my back to skiing, I forgot how to set goals and dream again,” MoCrazy said. 

She ended up seeing a psychotherapist to help with her recovery. 

“One of the biggest things I learned from my psychotherapist was to recognize when you are having a bad day and admit it. It’s really hard to say that I’m not OK,” she said.  

After her injury, she needed structure. “I was not really a go-with-the-flow person because I was terrified of another unexpected outcome,” she said. Part of her recovery was realizing that she couldn’t control the outcome of events in life, but she can always control her reaction to that event. 

Setting growth goals or long-term goals is important, but it’s also a good idea to set small, attainable goals to help you reach your growth goals. In her case, her growth goal was to return to skiing. However, she set attainable goals such as walking up a flight of stairs to help her reach her growth goal. 

An important aspect of the MoCrazy Strong method is the idea of setting goals to fit your personal best. And that’s precisely what Biles did. Her personal best was doing what’s right for her regardless of what society expected. “It takes incredible strength and trust in herself to listen to your gut and perform at your own personal best,” MoCrazy said. 

By focusing on your personal best, you can block out the stress, anxiety, and weight of other people’s expectations. 

During her recovery process, another common technique she used was meditation. Whenever she was feeling emotional or upset, she’d sit down and meditate for a few minutes. By doing this, she calmed herself down and allowed her mind to think logically. 

MoCrazy Strong is a resilience company started by MoCrazy, her sister Jeanee, and her mom, Grace “Mama MoCrazy” Mauzy. The organization hosts workshops about caring for loved ones with TBI, living your best life, and how to overcome struggles and create luck. MoCrazy is a motivational and resilience speaker who shares her story and recovery with others to help them bounce back after a difficult situation. 

“There are so many people with traumatic brain injuries at the different stages of recovery that need someone to look up to and show them that they can recover and live a normal life,” she said. 

To participate in a workshop or retreat by MoCrazy Strong, visit www.mocrazystrong.com.