Olympic gymnast Simone Biles made international headlines at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for her decision to withdraw from several events in favor of her mental health. 

“I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat, work on my mindfulness,” said Biles. She went on to say that she didn’t want to risk harming herself or her team’s chances of winning that they had practiced so hard for. Biles received both criticism and praise for her decision. 

Mental health awareness has been discussed more in recent years, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. People of all ages have reported increased levels of anxiety and depression, but officials have been very worried about the impact of the pandemic on adolescents and young adults.

In the last couple of years, Lake Land has been partnering with BetterMynd, an online therapy service for college students. The goal is to provide more accessible counseling from a more diverse group of therapists to improve the mental health of college students everywhere. This service has become crucial in the age of uncertainty that we are currently living in.

The website can be reached from the Laker Hub and is available at all times. If you are experiencing mental stress, we encourage you to reach out to someone whether in person or through the BetterMynd service.