As an individual, we all have different coping mechanisms for things that bother us. However, when you are married, every action directly affects your partner as well. Therefore, when Michael Phelps developed a weird habit of dealing with his internal struggles, Nicole set some boundaries for his actions. And as a partner, he respected those boundaries.
Michael Phelps has mentioned this several times that Nicole was always there when he needed a shoulder to lean on. Of course, they hit a couple of bumps in their relationships during the initial days. However, ever since they got married, they have been a constant support system for each other. Furthermore, the arrival of their sons in their lives has only strengthened their relationship.
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Nicole had to set certain boundaries
To deal with what was bothering him, Michael developed this habit of writing his feelings down. But according to Nicole the problem for her began when he started scrawling epithets about himself on his bathroom mirror. She said, “I wasn’t okay with that. I was like, ‘It’s not fair to me because I can’t comprehend why you’re writing that about yourself. That’s not how I see you.’ That was my boundary and he’s totally respected that.”
Clearly, it wasn’t Michael’s action that she resented, but the way he portrayed himself in it.
She is the one who has known him very closely and she couldn’t have accepted him being so vulnerable. Therefore, she did what was necessary at the moment.
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Now Michael Phelps uses a journal
Since writing his feelings down was an important thing to Michael, he switched to journaling instead of writing them on his bathroom mirror. As per Nicole, “He has that tool of writing it down, whether good or bad.” Michael suffered from ADHD as a child, so early in his life he learned to compartmentalize his daily goals. However, when he bid farewell to professional swimming, his goals might have changed, but the habit remained.
Michael and Nicole have had many ups and downs in their relationship. Though the important thing is, they chose to stick together at every step of their journey.
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