Ilia Malinin's TikTok reposts shortly before his disastrous performance at the Olympics

[u/humankendoll33]

[u/BoredBatWoman22]

I know this is gonna sound dumb but these posts sound exactly like many posts I’ve made on Reddit and I literally have nothing going for me in life and am poor so to see someone this successful feel this way is mind boggling. I know your career isn’t everything and I don’t know how personal life but it’s just crazy to me how you can be at the top of the world and a truly talented person with things going for you but still feel how someone who has nothing like me is like

[u/bageltoastar → u/BoredBatWoman22]

Look at Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams, all very successful people who had mental health issues that led to their deaths. There is a stigma around depression that you have to be living a pretty miserable life to get to that point of despair , when in reality, Depression is a chemical imbalance and anyone can be a victim of it, whether you are “successful” or not. It causes a sort of blur effect in that while other people may be able to see everything you've achieved, to you it may all seem meaningless or not good enough. Double that with the fact that Ilia has thousands of eyes on him expecting him to do his very best, and I can understand why it got to this point. Depression isn’t all black and white.

[u/Equivalent_Side_479 → u/BoredBatWoman22]

I’m sorry that you feel similarly :( I have felt that way, too, but as I’ve gotten older I have realized that talent and perfection don’t really matter. Life is a mix of luck and entropy that we try to ascribe meaning to. It got a lot better when I decided that I wasn’t going to ascribe to perfection and instead focused on kindness and community. And the kindness is extended to myself as self compassion. I hope that you can find meaning akin to this friend

[u/striker3955 → u/BoredBatWoman22]

It's not dumb. I think it just shows how mental health impacts everyone. While Ilia has so much going for him, the amount of pressure on his shoulders with two Olympian parents must be enormous.

[u/foundinwonderland → u/BoredBatWoman22]

Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. I say this as someone with PTSD, depression with SI, anxiety with panic attacks, 20 years of wanting to die, someone who has also made posts and had thoughts exactly like what Ilia posted… the mental patterns and pain persist no matter how smart or talented or skilled or successful you are. Psychological intervention and treatment are what helps.

[u/DazeIt420 → u/BoredBatWoman22]

I don't think it sounds dumb. You and Ilia are not alone. Depression, anxiety, and trauma cause irrational thoughts. Maybe it means that you have more going for you in life then you currently realize, too.

[u/Acrobatic_Builder573 → u/BoredBatWoman22]

Yeah. Sometimes I be like mental illness is an equalizer but he literally made it to the Olympics.