Shocker LIFE | 10/3/2021 4:06:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wylie Glover and Dexter Dennis sat in the front of a camera and told people their story, their struggles and their desire to help.
 
"It can be very scary to admit that 'Hey, I'm not doing OK," Glover said.  "You're allowed to feel like that, even though you're a student-athlete and you're on a stage."
 
Glover, an outfielder on Wichita State's softball team, and Dennis, of men's basketball, shared their experiences on video as part of "Powerful Minds," the American Athletic Conference's annual mental health and safety campaign. It is led by the student-athletes around the conference and designed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage people to use mental-health services.
 
Powerful Minds, which started in 2017, begins with Motivational Monday and continues all week with activities and social media posts. On Wednesday, student-athletes will visit Robinson Middle School to talk about physical activity, goal setting and mental health. On Thursday, they will make their stress ball out of water beads and balloons and discuss relaxation techniques.
 
"Student-athletes have felt that it's helpful in their mental-health journey," said Dr. Brianna Ward, athlete mental health coordinator. "The conversation has really changed in the past few years, that it's OK to not be OK sometimes."
 
Athletes such as gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Michael Phelps and others in the NBA and NFL are open about their mental-health struggles. Ward sees those conversations as helpful for all athletes, some of whom may consider opening up as a sign of weakness.
"You have some high-profile athletes coming out and being in support of mental health," she said. "That's trickled down to athletes at all different levels. There's less resistance, and it's still going to be an ongoing conversation to be able to get some athletes in the door. Some of those values are really ingrained deeply in them – thinking about being tough, being resilient. All of those really great characteristics have gotten them to the (NCAA Division i) level."
 
Glover appreciates the shift in attitudes and resources that encourage student-athletes to get help with their problems.
 
"Mental health isn't just being depressed or having anxiety," she said. "It could just be that you're overwhelmed, and you need to go to talk to someone. Maybe you're someone who is very private, and you don't want your teammates to know how you feel, so you need to go talk to someone else about it."


 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.