Athletes are humans, too.

And their mental health matters.

Simone Biles made headlines this week when she withdrew from the individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics. She cited her mental health being the reason for her withdrawal:

"We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we're human, too," she said. "So, we have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do."

"I had to do what's right for me and not jeopardize my health and well-being," she added. "So that's why I decided to kind of take a step back and let them do their work."

Mental health is important, too

Simone putting her mental health first is a reminder that mental health is just as important as physical health, and one influences the other. Our wellness is interconnected, and should be viewed holistically more often.

Simone Biles could literally kill herself if she doesn't feel up to performing, mentally or physically speaking. The general public has no idea how much strength and technique it takes to contort their bodies the way a gymnast does, especially one as skilled as Simone Biles, who is literally so boss that new terms had to be invented to name her moves.

At 24, she has 31 Olympic and World Championship medals, making her the most decorated gymnast of all time. She breaks records on the regular, yet, after taking time to take care of herself, she's been reduced to being "weak" and a "quitter".

Those who criticize her should remember that she's the sole Larry Nassar survivor still competing and doing so in order to bring awareness to the issue.

Take into account that she has ADHD, and the medication she takes for it is banned in Japan (However, a Tokyo 2020 exemption allowed them for athletes) and has been suffering from the twisties. The twisties are mental struggles gymnasts face when your body develops a mind of its own.

Even if she wasn't a sexual abuse survivor, or a child who grew up in foster care (her experience was said to be pleasant, but that is not always the case), someone who has ADHD, or suffers from the twisties, she would still deserve time off for her mental health.

It's sad that mental health issues are appropriate excuses in some cases, for example a mass shooting, as singer and activist Malynda Hale pointed out, but not when a world champion like Simone Biles needs a break.

Sha'Carri was using weed to cope

Simone was not the only Black woman athlete to face controversy this year. Sha'Carri Richardson won the women’s 100-meter race at the U.S. track and field trials in Oregon this past June. She was celebrated everywhere, and she wasn't shy about hyping herself up.

With her long nails and orange hair, Sha'Carri brings a freshness we haven't seen on the national competing scale since the likes of Flo Jo. According to BBC News, Sha'Carri is the sixth-fastest woman in history, with a best-ever time for the 100m of 10.72. Her victory occurred during Pride month, and she was sure to thank her girlfriend and extended family. But her victory lap didn't last long.

Sha'Carri was also set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, but was disqualified due to a positive marijuana test. She explained that she used the marijuana to cope with her biological mother's death. Though her relationship with her mother was estranged, it was always a heavy topic for Sha'Carri.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency banned her from competing for one month and expunged her qualifying victory. Although the 30-day suspension technically ended during the Tokyo games, U.S. Athletics chose not to include her on the team.

Marijuana is not technically a performance enhancing drug, if anything, it reduces performance. A review published in Clinical Psychology Review investigated the use of marijuana to treat symptoms of mental illness, and found some evidence supporting the use of marijuana to relieve depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

President Biden weighed in on Sha'Carri's suspension, saying:

"Rules are the rules. Everybody knows what the rules are going in. Whether they should remain that way, whether that should remain the rule, is a different issue."

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency also expressed interest in revisiting the rule moving forward.

Sha'Carri apologized for her actions and took accountability for letting down her team.

“Don’t judge me, because I am human… I just happen to run a little faster," she told the TODAY show.

Sha'Carri made a mistake, and she was grieving. Does she not deserve a little grace and mercy? Too many athletes must remind people of their humanity - Black athletes in particular.

"It's OK not to be OK."

Naomi Osaka, the No.2-ranked tennis player, also reminded us of her humanity when she decided to drop out of the French Open for mental health reasons in May.

"It's OK to not be OK, and it's OK to talk about it," she wrote in an essay for TIME magazine.

"I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health," she wrote. "I stand by that. Athletes are humans."

Naomi was fined $15,000 after she refused to do interviews at the French Open, which was a requirement for tennis players. She later cited her anxiety speaking with the media, and "bouts of depression" in her decision to withdraw.

Naomi's decision to put herself first, like Simone Biles, is empowering because it is a reminder that we are more than our jobs, or our talents. Most employers are quick to remind us that we are replaceable, and they have no issue working us to death.

These recent acts of defiance are revolutionary, because they've stirred the conversation of productivity and the importance of mental health.

Naomi didn't owe us an explanation, however, it was nice of her to share her soul. It was a beautiful moment that perhaps led Simone Biles to feel more confident about choosing herself, too.

Noticing a trend here?

Being a Black athlete must be exhausting...

The above are not isolated examples of how Black athletes are treated by the media and society at large. The media has often disrespected Serena Williams, illustrating her as the angry Black woman and belittling her femininity and athletic greatness.

She couldn't wear cute fits just because she's thick. Even after a life-threatening experience giving birth to her daughter, she couldn't even wear her catsuit specially designed to reduce the chance of blood clots.

Black women can't have anything! We can't be the best, we can't have an off day, we can't be sad, we can't be depressed, we can't be disappointed, we can't emote. Society sees Black women as overly strong creatures who never get the credit for all we do and never get a chance to have a down day. It's exhausting living as a figment of one's racist and misogynistic imagination.

However, it is nice to see that on a larger scale, Black women are saying no, and refusing to be put in boxes and live up to anyone's expectations but our own.

Hopefully, moments like these will shift the culture, specifically the culture of over-productivity, prioritizing mental health, and work-life balance.