Naomi Osaka.Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Naomi Osakais speaking her truth!
On Sunday, the 23-year-old professional tennis player penned acandid statementon Instagram, sharing that she is going to “celebrate myself and my accomplishments more.”
Noting that she is “so grateful for the people around me because the support I feel is completely unparalleled,” Osaka said that she has recently been asking herself, “Why do I feel the way I do and I realize [sic] one of the reasons is because internally I think I’m never good enough.”
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Osaka revealed that despite her many accomplishments, she’s never told herself “good job.”
“I’ve never told myself that I’ve done a good job but I do know I constantly tell myself that I suck or I could do better,” she added. “I know in the past some people have called me humble but if I really consider it I think I’m extremely self deprecating. Every time a new opportunity arises my first thought is, ‘wow, why me?'”
Continuing her open note, Osaka had a change of perception, writing, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m gonna try to celebrate myself and my accomplishments more, I think we all should.”
Osaka then encouraged her followers to also cherish even the smallest wins.
“You got up in the morning and didn’t procrastinate on something? Champion. Figured something out at work that’s been bugging you for a while? Absolute legend,” she continued. “Your life is your own and you shouldn’t value yourself on other people’s standards.”
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“I know I give my heart to everything I can and if that’s not good enough for some then my apologies but I can’t burden myself with those expectations anymore,” the sports star added. “Seeing everything that’s going on in the world I feel like if I wake up in the morning that’s a win.”
Closing out her poignant message, Osaka concluded, “That’s how I’m coming.”
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Osaka’s message comes after she spoke out about her mental health earlier this year, stating that she’s grappled with depression and anxiety.
The athletewithdrew from the French Openin May, citing anxiety surrounding media interviews and confirming that she’d been facing depression since winning the US Open in 2018. The next month, she thenwithdrew from Wimbledonto take “personal time” before competing at theTokyo Summer Olympics, where she fell in the third round.
Whilespeaking with PEOPLElast week, Osaka said, “I never thought about speaking my mind as something that was difficult. I really just wanted to express my true feelings and be honest with not only myself but to others about struggles. The more we can all be open the more we can help each other be better.”
source: people.com
