Leisel Jones has never backed away from a fight. She’s always known what it takes to win, to put in the perfect performance.

But that knowledge comes at a cost.

“I think I’m terrible to myself. I think I’m my own worst critic, and I always have been,” the Olympic gold medallist told Georgie Tunny for 10 News+.

“And when you’re in a game like the Olympic Games, or the sport of swimming which is so specific, and the difference between winning or losing is 0.01 of a second, you can become incredibly challenged by the thoughts you have about yourself,” she said.

Jones opened up about her struggle with being kind to herself and how she’s trying to learn that not everything has to be so strict and goal-oriented.

“I’ve been so strict my entire life,” she said, adding, “I’ve trained incredibly hard, mind, body, and soul, trained to within an inch of its life.”

Now, the 39-year-old is trying to unlearn those strict habits, and that learning curve recently dropped her in one of her darkest moments.

Watch more from 10 News+ at 10.com.au