Lindsey Vonn.Photo: Michael Loccisano/WireImage
Lindsey Vonnhas found the formula that works for her when she’s struggling.
Vonn recounts, “I remember when I won the Olympics in Vancouver, I literally flew a few days later to L.A. I didThe Tonight Show, which I left and I flew straight to Europe to start racing again. And so there’s really no time to process. There wasn’t really a letdown because I just kept going, it was always the same level until the season was over. But a lot of athletes whose season ends at the Olympics, there is a letdown.”
“You worked your whole life for that moment and then it’s over,” the three-time Olympic medalist continues. “And you’re like, ‘What do I do now?’ "
That unknown, which she felt afterannouncing her plans to retirein 2019 due to extensive knee injuries, can be scary — which is where having a “good support system and remembering what’s important and why you do that” is crucial. That she says, “and dogs.”
Vonn has partnered with insurance providerAllianzas a global ambassador to help shine a spotlight on the importance of mental health through theirSupport Dog Squad.The program pairs support dogs with Olympians to help them deal with the “pressure and added mental anxiety” of competing on the world stage.
Vonn, herself, has three dogs — two of which are rescues. Her pooch Lucy traveled with her the last few years of her career, which helped when she was “struggling with being alone on the road.”
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Lindsey Vonn and Lucy.Lindsey Vonn/ Instagram
“Obviously, it’s challenging being an athlete … being in hotel rooms for months at a time was very mentally stressful,” Vonn elaborates. “So getting Lucy was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And I actually brought her to the Olympics in 2018 in PyeongChang. … Having that support when you walk through the door, no matter if it’s a hotel room or your home, or you’re in the Olympic village, wherever it is, they’re always happy to see you.”
In addition to her furry comrades, Vonn says she’s also used journaling when in tough moments: “If I wasn’t able to talk to a therapist or a friend or family member, I always felt like I could journal and it made things easier for me.”
She’s proud of the wave of athletes who have become more outspoken about grappling with mental health, dispelling the notion that sports figures can’t be vulnerable.
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“I think before some people thought that was a weakness or they weren’t supposed to talk about it,” she tells PEOPLE. “And I felt exactly the same way, but now having that be a bigger topic is definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders. … I think the more compassion we can have for each other the better, just because we’re athletes doesn’t mean we’re immune to everything else in life, and adversities and emotional challenges and mental challenges.”
source: people.com
