Destigmatizing mental health issues: Marius Frosa’s journey
WICHITA, Kan. — As a college athlete, there is always a lot of undue pressures. You are expected to excel in every area of your life. You are expected to focus on your studies, dominate in the field, and at the same time, be a cheerful member of the community despite any struggles you might have deep within.
Mental health issues are not readily accepted in the sports world. There is still a lot of stigma around the issue. In many situations, it is associated with not being strong mentally. Therefore, it is not surprising when people hide behind a healthy façade. No one wants to be singled out because they are “too weak” to handle all the pressures.
This is the story of Marius Frosa of Wichita state.
Most people struggle to adjust to new surroundings. But for Frosa, a Galati, Romania native, the struggle was too hard on his mental health. The transition period weighed down on him as he was new in the country and had problems adjusting to the new environment, especially his new collegiate team.
“He would get down on himself, he’d be tough on himself,” said Danny Bryan, the Wichita State men’s tennis coach.
Frosa put a lot of mental pressure on himself. He set goals and sees things from a different perspective without knowing how to approach them. To add to the problem, he does not speak up – until recently, when another teammate shared that he had similar struggles.
“I couldn’t find my game on the court, and I was really struggling mentally,” said teammate Murken Dellian.
This goes to show that nobody is born with confidence. It takes time to build.
A lot of stigma surrounds mental health in the athletic world – especially for men. They find it hard to speak up because society expects them to be strong and overcome any challenges. However, speaking up and speaking out helps.
According to Gretchen Torline, the director of Athletic Academic Services for WSU, “(Mental health) is very important and that’s why we try to do a lot of education with them and let them know that talking about it and letting people know that you’re struggling mentally is not anything of a sign of weakness.”
The more they become open about their struggles, the less the stigma around mental health.
Torline said that with the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues among players increased because there was limited human interaction. Most players missed out on the college experience, and once they came back, it was hard to adjust to playing with teammates who had already played in previous games.
For Frosa, his anxiety levels and feelings of inadequacy are wearing off. He was able to speak up and help others who were suffering in silence. Silence can be a paralyzing factor in such cases. His desire to change his mentality enabled him to seek help. His willingness and openness are sure to open up the path for others who were also suffering in silence.
Sometimes, accepting that you have some weaknesses is the most extraordinary form of courage. He does not want anyone to go through that period of struggle.
“I think the stigma is going away on that, and we hope more and more,” Torline said. Being on a team that understands such struggles and is open about it opens the pathway for people to speak up and unpack mental health issues without victimization.
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