“This is amazing” - Megan Olivi, fellow fighters, fans show their love for Angela Lee’s uplifting mental health essay

Newly-retired MMA fighter Angela Lee has received a lot of love and support this week from a large MMA community, after releasing an uplifting essay for individuals struggling with mental health.

The essay, titled “The Greatest Battle,” briefly touched upon the former ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion’s own uphill battles with mental health, before encouraging others to do the same and to make it a part of everyday conversation:

“For all the athletes reading this,” she wrote on Fightstory, “I encourage you and implore you to let your guard down. Show you are human. Share every part of your journey: the good, the bad, the triumphs, and the hardships. Because at the end of the day, we aren’t meant to be perfect. We are meant to be resilient human beings.”

In addition to her post, the former ONE atomweight world champion made a stirring “call to action” for her readers.

To jumpstart the journey towards healing, Lee recommended writing a list of 10 “pick me ups” or “go-tos” that help boost your mood whenever you’re feeling down.

An example of Angela Lee’s top 10 included:

“Exercise, journaling or talking with her support group, making a cup of tea/coffee, going outside and being in the sun⁣, listening to music, dancing with my daughter, playing with our dogs, grocery shopping, cooking a new recipe, hot showers […] 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. Write it down, save them and give it a try on the days you need them 💚.”

Her list quickly generated positive reactions from the MMA community, including those outside the ONE Championship circle.

Megan Olivi, American sports broadcaster for the UFC, led the conversation online with the following comment:

meganolivi: “This is amazing 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽.”

Check out more heartwarming messages made out to Angela Lee by the fans below:

Fan comments #1

Fan comments #2