I haven’t been watching much of the Olympics, but it was hard to miss the news about Simone Biles withdrawing from the gymnastic competition this week. Social media was ablaze with both support and condemnation of her decision to take a step back after a shaky performance on the vault. While the cause wasn’t a physical injury, there was still something physical going on—something gymnasts call getting the dreaded “twisties.” Despite its cutesy name, the twisties can be both terrifying and dangerous.
Gymnasts relentlessly train to develop muscle memory so that their bodies instinctively know what to do as they fly, flip, and spin through the air. The twisties occur when that muscle memory suddenly disappears leaving them disoriented mid-air. It’s a disconnect between the mind and body. The terror of experiencing it creates the fear of it happening again. As one writer describe it, “Instinct gets replaced by thought. Thought quickly leads to worry. Worry is difficult to escape.”
After Simone explained her decision to protect her physical and mental health by withdrawing from the competition, several other gymnasts described their own experience with the twisties—some that resulted in serious injuries
While terrifying and potential life-threatening in the context of gymnastics considering the level of precision needed to safely perform the kinds of moves Simone usually makes look effortless, the twisties are actually something I think we can all relate to. Who hasn’t experienced a moment or event in their life that caused disruption and disorientation?
Life occasionally gives us moments that cause us to lose our bearings. Something happens that throws us for a loop and upsets our plans— a devastating diagnosis, the unexpected death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the discovery of broken trust. The question isn’t whether or not we’ll experience the twisties because we all will at some point. The question becomes what will we do to find ourselves and regain our bearings after we get them.
When faced with these topsy-turvy, twistie moments there’s always the option to push ahead—to pretend like nothing happened and hope that works. But it never does. Such denial often leads to further injury. Fellow gymnasts applauded Simone’s decision to withdraw. Her poise and self-awareness that led her to take a step back is a good lesson for us all. In gymnastics, the twisties are worked through not by pushing ahead, but by taking a step back, by returning to the basics—doing simple exercises and training in a safe environment that provides soft landing spaces.
Taking a step back and returning to the basics is a good and safe way to find our way back to ourselves after a disorienting event. The basics include eating good meals, spending time in nature, moving your body, resting, reconnecting with friends and supportive communities, consulting with professional counselors and following the advice of medical personnel. So beloved of God, whether your world is upside down, inside-out, topsy-turvy, or hunky dory, I pray God gives you the strength to take a step back, grants you the courage to rest as you need, enhances your ability to hear the support of loved ones amidst the chatter of destructive cynics, and provides a soft space to land.
In Love,
Pastor Annette