Dragged Into Mental Health Controversies, Naomi Osaka Shares Pivotal Learnings Ahead of Childbirth – ‘Never Have to Struggle Alone’

The woman who put Japan on the map, 2018 US Open winner Naomi Osaka, suffered multiple bouts of depression during her career. To prioritize her mental health, the 25-year-old tennis player took a brief hiatus from tennis in 2021.  Currently, Osaka is away from tennis again as she is pregnant.

Naomi is keen to ensure her child’s mental well-being. She has been solely focusing on her kid and takes care to stay in a positive atmosphere with her partner, Cordae. Naomi has also partnered with mental health platforms to contribute for the betterment of kids’ and teens’ mental wellness. She recently shared her experience of dealing with her own and kids’ mental health in the context of motherhood.

Naomi Osaka shares her pregnancy experience

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka recently partnered with a mental health platform named Modern Health. It provides material designed to help children develop the practice of meditation. Recently, speaking to harpersbazaar.com, Naomi shared her pregnancy experience and a new off-court routine – and mindset – that she is working on for herself to ensure her wellness as she prepares to welcome her child.

Naomi also shared takeaways from her tennis career that benefitted her mental health and which she aims to pass on to her child.

“That it is okay to speak up and speak your mind and that you never have to struggle alone. Others may not have all the answers but speaking to people who are dealing with similar issues can help you feel less alone and is also a good way to pick up some tricks and tools that may also work for you,” she said.

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The 25-year-old tennis star, who struggled with depression for a long time, is firm about holding a positive mindset now. She has been focusing on her psychological well-being even more diligently after she found out about her becoming a mother soon.

Naomi managed to deal with her anxiety for motherhood

During games, Osaka, an introverted person, used to wear headphones – it helped “dull” her anxiety. During her depression phase, Osaka decided to withdraw from tennis for a while as she suffered from ‘long bouts’ after the 2018 U.S. Open.

Leaving the past behind, she fought back and managed to drag herself out of the depression. Now, she completely understands the importance of mental wellness and has learned to deal with it. She shared pivotal learnings from when she was suffering from high level anxieties.

“Meditation has been extremely helpful for my anxiety. At first it was intimidating but when I started to practice meditating every morning, even just for five minutes, it became something I really looked forward to,” she said.

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The pro athlete has surely been keeping herself productive during her pregnancy. She has been contributing to Modern Health’s clinical team to help develop meditational designs for kids and teens.

Hope to see you on-court soon champion!