PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Johanna Skottheim’s breakthrough was also the starting point for a battle with mental illness.
Now she opens up about the tough time.
– I was completely, completely, completely exhausted and basically apathetic, says Skottheim in the SVT series ‘Best when it comes’.
Johanna Skottheim, 29, really broke through in the winter of 2020. Then she took her first podium in the World Cup at the 15 kilometer distance. It was followed up with that Skottheim together with Lynn Persson, Elvira Öberg and Hannah Öberg win the relay a week later.
Got depressed
After that, she wasn’t quite the same, and the two following seasons were tough for Johanna. Last season’s pre-season training, she says, was her first training period that went smoothly since June 2020.
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Previous training periods have been more difficult due to his struggle with mental illness, Skottheim says.
– I was so driven forward that it became overtraining, depression. It was very tough mentally and that’s probably what has really set in, she says in the series ‘Best when it comes’ on SVT.
Johanna Skottheim’s struggle
When it was at its worst, she could barely get out of bed, reveals the 29-year-old.
– I felt so bad, and the anxiety seemed to sit in my body, that I couldn’t move. I was completely, completely, completely exhausted and basically apathetic. Everything felt like such a huge challenge, if it was about moving the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer, I could think “no, I won’t do it today, I’ll do it tomorrow”.
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Since the tough time, Johanna has made great progress and is looking ahead.
– Now I would say that it is good. That’s what’s so nice, to have a day like this where you just “it’s going so well, I feel strong”, says Skottheim.
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