Caeleb Dressel on mental health struggles

[@GrandmaSkillz]

Caeleb is so well-spoken and self-aware. Such an inspiration.

[@nelswim62]

Thank you so much for talking about this Caeleb. Swimming is a hard sport, and it's not even talked about enough at the age group and senior levels, and the pressure is felt very much even at the lower levels. So many more people will now look up to you because you are talking about very real things we all experience.

[@KathyZ-y8b]

Something I've learned listening to Caleb, Michael P. and Ryan Lochte is that people who appear to lead a perfect life, are vulnerable human beings like anybody else.

[@RoadTripzz14]

I had a panic attack years ago. One of the most terrifying things that I ever experienced. Among other symptoms an intense pressure on my chest that felt like a heart attack. A real world lesson on how powerful the mind is. Thankfully I never had another.

[@ericdesanto1831]

Caeleb, thank you for being a model of a person who can face real struggles AND can show that they don't have to stop you. As I teacher, I often see students who say, "I can't... I have depression." or "I can't... I have anxiety." These struggles are real. And with the right support and skills we can live and thrive in spite of them. To Caeleb's support system, thank you for being alert, strong, and just pushy enough to help. It is very hard to know how to help people when everyone reacts differently to major stresses.

[@audreyginsburg6493]

I am so glad more sports are putting emphasis on mental health. It's important that athletes feel like they are not alone when it comes to mental health issues.

[@dani61742]

Thank you so much for talking about your mental health

[@Lcruz2627]

I’m sorry he went through this mental health issue. In a sport like swimming that isn’t very popular and most people don’t care about, it’s unfortunate that being the most popular swimmer in the world was overwhelming to him. This interview only confirms the initial feeling I had in which he struggled with his new fame based on the answers I heard from him in Tokyo. I’m glad he realizes that swimming isn’t going to last forever for him and that he’s able to embrace the responsibility that comes with the being the man that lifts the sport to greater heights.

[@swmut]

I think the fact that swimming is so hyper focused on single events (i.e. the Olympics) makes it almost higher pressure than many other sports. At least in baseball or football you have the solace of a team around you and the chance at another go the following year. Many swimmers get one shot to make or break a career...

[@lisas1175]

I’m loving these Dressel clips. So he’s human after all!

[@moulaye7534]

Well half fish, half human...

[@hopbup7401]

Glad more athletes are talking about this. The pressures are immense and I do wonder about the effects of the insane amount of training they do.

[@Austin-jq5yn]

I think that graham Is one the best interviewers he dosent push things on people. And i think caeleb is amazing :) 10/10 interview

[@yahyeet6341]

who wants a dressel movie

[@tykeemgadsden5859]

great video and great interview

[@michaeljj43]

thank you for sharing. this has helped me tremendously.

[@qwertyytrewq2063]

Thank you, Caeleb

[@courtneysmith5211]

The pressure of competition in swimming can be so much because it's so hard and competitive

[@senorgato70]

Caeleb is a tremendous athlete. Seems like an amazing teammate. Seems like a great husband and father. As great a champion as he is, he isn't built to be a champion. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Many champions are confident, bordering on arrogant. Caeleb isn't like that. I think he's a tremendously sensitive (empath?) man which makes it hard when there's so much attention and pressure. I'm glad to know he's in a better place today in 2024.

[@dannyfeldman2448]

This stuff is serious man. Its not really the anxiety. Its the feeling of just being lost. Not recognizing the intimacy that exists inside of your world. The peaceful, intimate understanding of friendship and love is something that mustve been missing in Caeleb. It made him genuinely believe that he wasn't him, rather this "pseudosuperman" swimmer. That shit weighs on you. Its like you are in a bubble and you have no friends. And the one thing you love (swimming) is being taken away from you because that world surrounding it has no friends. It takes time to acclimate. Some people use SSRI's, anti-anxiety. Others take a break. Its a reshaping of perspective that gets passed this type of suffering. Wishing Caeleb the best.

[@myname1700]

I know that it is not at all the same. But still I do feel anxiety and depression because of my exams in university, since it is a very tough course and I was always a good student in high school without doing too much, but feel like I am no match for my peers in university now. The point is I know exactly that I am actually good enough but there is always this voice in my head which is the voice of my insecurities, sometimes the voice of the expectations of my family. Then you have days where you watch the olympics while seeing caeleb being great, being just 25 years old and you feel so small because you know you ll probably never be as succesfull, which makes you again feel so powerless. I do believe you only become trully fulfilled if you completely stop comparing yourself to others and start focusing only on yourself. You do your duties and enjoy life as much as possible at the end we will all die and looking back I dont want to see myself as a guy who wasted his youth by constantly comparing himself to others and never live in the moment. Caeleb actually helped me with this video, so thank you

[@Slowhand871]

If it’s important to you then it’s important to. I’m 63 years old. Try to not compare yourself to your peers. Everyone excels at something . You only want to TRY and improve . I guarantee you are improving yourself by struggling. No one improves themselves if they succeed all the time.We learn the most about ourselves through our failures. Give yourself a break and enjoy the struggle. It’s going to be ok.

[@rbonsall1]

Thank you.

[@davem.2788]

Great interview!

[@edubielalpizar4391]

nice one that athletes like any other genius... are realising that the utmost important thing in this life is to be okay irrespective of what ANY other (people, group, country, organisation, blablabla) think.... Take care of yourself.... First!!! Well done CD and family

[@travisgreen9604]

great interview

[@victorcervantes278]

We now why he'd left Worlds now, still he is the fastest sprinter of nowadays

[@allydea]

As a fan of the newcomer David Popovici, I kinda have to root against Caleb, but him being as great as he is also makes the competition great, so I really wish the best for him, that he manages to find ways to deal with the pressure and still enjoys competitive swimming.

[@beatricenova1543]

Caeleb Dressel is an increadibly talented and hard-working swimmer, but it seems to me he still needs to mature a lot professionally and speak his mind before things go south that he has to retire from a race: because if you are so constantly worried about other people expectations that you cannot even enjoy the excitment that comes with setting a new world-record, you won't last long.

[@marcom6089]

I am so glad that you’re speaking from experience. How old were you when you first experienced your first panic attack followed by a deep depression? What kind of swim meet was it? When did you first set your world record in your specialty? As a professional mental health therapist what do you believe to be the issue of an athlete’s state of mind in relation to the sport of swimming? I’m going to assume your main focus is on athletes and swimming.

[@beatricenova1543]

@@marcom6089 I am not a therapist, I am just a spectator who is trying to figure out the reason behind his recent retirement. The point I was trying to make is precisely that he should work with a therapist and figure things out as soon as possible before he jeopardize his next Olimpics. This because I really hope to see him compete at his best once again!

[@JanetVictor-l2k]

MY AWESOME IDOL, EVERYONE HAS GLOOMY DAYS, BUT REMEMBER OTHER PARTS OF THE EARTH, IT'S DARK IN CERTAIN SEASON, BUT IN FLORIDA, "THE SUN DO ALWAYS COME UP DURING THE SUNRISE OR WHEN CLOUDS MOVES AROUND, WHEN GLOOMY DAYS COMES, THE SUN ALWAYS WILL SHINE, EVENTUALLY "

[@mustangsally2048]

Expectations can make you snap

[@alfonsolopez7660]

Activa los subtitulos en español por favor 🙏

[@knowyourenemy50]

i don't really like how caeleb clearly doesn't want to elaborate on things, but other people are revealing personal things on his behalf. and what the hell is up with "caeleb's father/veterinarian" makes it sound like he is caeleb's veterinarian.

[@watsonaqua4560]

Agreed!

[@glug307]

Jesus loves you guys!!!!

[@calebamore]

He spells his own name wrong.

[@peter130476]

In Romania only women get depression. Let's see if Romanian David Popovici will ever have depression!

[@toddfauster6111]

Romania is a 3rd World Country...you barely have food let alone depression...get it straight Mary.

[@kashs9691]

Believe in Allah and all these issues will be gone.....there in no internal peace to any non believer be it Caeleb, Phelps or Ian Thorpe or any other non-believer

[@nadedjadannevik6272]

Another episode of: "My life is so perfect and privileged that I have to invent things to b*tch about."

[@Wyndamn]

Who hurt you ???

[@nadedjadannevik6272]

@@Wyndamn Much less to do with who "hurt" me and more so to do with me having zero patience for ungrateful individuals.

[@ethanbarksdale7524]

What about dressel screams ungrateful ? I’ll wait…

[@Wyndamn]

@@nadedjadannevik6272 how is he ungrateful in your opinion ???

[@nadedjadannevik6272]

@@Wyndamn A person who literally has everything and is still grasping at straws to find (imaginary) reasons to be unhappy is ungrateful. I have no respect for people like this. There are people who have war in their country or starving all over the world and I don't see them complaining as much.

[@nadedjadannevik6272]

A person who literally has everything and is still grasping at straws to find (imaginary) reasons to be unhappy is ungrateful. I have no respect for people like this. There are people who have war in their country or starving all over the world and I don't see them complaining as much.

[@eh7602]

Did someone drop you off a flight of stairs as a child? He's being interviewed that's why he's talking about it, and he's a very successful athlete that constantly has to meet expectations set by other people, obviously that is gonna have a toll on your mental state. I think it's great that someone like him is openly talking about this. There are tons and tons of (young) people who look up to him and to see that even their role model struggles with their own mind sometimes is a wonderful thing for them.

[@awxuh]

@@eh7602 Correct.

[@abigailfromjail7558]

@@eh7602 period

[@toddfauster6111]

Nady why are you letting these people you speak of starve? You sit back and watch? You yourself live in a 3rd World country and you choose to watch others starve.. .shame on you Nady.

[@mikes3637]

Somehow this is more common in Swimming. This is a sport which can get really depressing, chasing the black line back n forth for 1000s of hours. I’ve faced something similar. I could be wrong but yea MP, Caleb, Adam Peaty, Hagino, Thorpe the list goes on

[@pacific_seo]

And unlike many other sports, you’re really just trying to beat yourself and its very mental.