This is Hidden Brain.
I'm Shankar Vedanta.
In 2012, Michael Phelps was at the peak of his career.
At the London Games, he became the most decorated Olympian of all time.
He had 22 Olympic medals to his name, including 18 gold medals.
The swimmer's entire life had centred around his sport, at being the best.
Early mornings, endless training.
He pursued victory tirelessly, and it paid off.
But then, it was over.
No more early morning practices.
No more races.
No more gold medals to chase.
He described the feeling as a post-Olympic depression.
I saw myself as strictly a swimmer, not as a human being, he said.
At times, he felt like he did not want to be alive.
Eventually, the great athlete turned to advocacy, using his experience to raise awareness about mental health.
He realized that retirement was scary because he had to find, quote, whatever it was I was looking for.
Michael Phelps' experience illustrates a challenge many of us face.
When the rules we've relied on to live a good life stop working, where do we find new rules?
How do we discover what we are looking for?