A former Olympian is opening up about the pressures of competing at the highest level.

Marystown native Kaetlyn Osmond, who competed at both the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Games, says she gives “full credit” to her sports psychologist for helping her to overcome the stress that comes with being an elite athlete.

She says that just like any other person, she tended to focus on the negative aspects of her performance, even if others may not have noticed anything at all.

She says the worst experience for her was when she broke her leg.

Physically, she healed well, but doubt ultimately crept in.

She says mentally she was exhausted and scared, combined with the fact that she was getting older, it became a lot to deal with.

At one point, she thought that she never wanted to step on the ice again.

After returning from injury, Osmond had what she called “the worst skate” of her life.

This led her to a sports psychologist, who she saw once a week.

The 26-year-old says it proved invaluable.

She says it gave her an opportunity to rant about everything in her life “that all piles up” if you let it.

She says you have to let things go in order to be able to cope with the pressure, and be able to perform when the lights are brightest.