By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Molly Murphy-Brown (Jr., Sandy, OR/Sandy HS) is a two-sport athlete on the Willamette University women's cross country and women's track and field teams. She is active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and helped form SECURE, an on-campus group to help student-athletes with mental health and wellness. SECURE stands for Support, Educate, Connect, Understand, Retain, and Empower. It was Murphy-Brown's own experiences that led her to be involved with SECURE.
"I have struggled with anxiety and some minor depression over the years, and this has affected my running at times," Murphy-Brown said. "Back in high school, running was the cause of a lot of my anxiety as I got better at it because I felt like I needed to do everything perfectly and train all the time or I wouldn't be good at it."
She has made significant strides at dealing with her anxiety as it relates to running.
"My relationship with running has gradually improved the last couple of years since coming to Willamette," Murphy-Brown affirmed. "I decided to run because I love it and not to be the best at it. This mindset helped me improve my running because I was more enthusiastic about training and actually enjoyed it. It became a fantastic stress reliever and I saw the workouts as a fun challenge instead of something that was scary and anxiety-inducing."
Murphy-Brown didn't achieve her improved outlook on her own. Like many others, she sought help. Now she hopes to help others as a leader in SECURE.
"I began seeing a therapist my freshman year and began to realize how much I could improve my mental illnesses by actually working on them," Murphy-Brown said. "That's when I started to find a strong passion for mental health. I was originally planning on majoring in exercise science when I came to Willamette, but after taking some psychology classes and learning more while working on my own mental health, I realized psychology was the right path for me."
In addition to working with a therapist, Murphy-Brown has discovered activities that contribute to her mental well-being.
"I have tried meditation, but have never been able to get into a good routine of it, but when I have done it, it definitely helped," Murphy-Brown said. "I recently started journaling, which has been amazing. I try to write something every day, but I don't put too much pressure on myself to write a lot. Just whatever is on my mind. I also find that being outside in nature is something that is crucial to my mental health. I am so thankful I do a sport that is outside, but aside from running, I try to spend time outside when I can. It feels very healing to me to be out in nature."
Along the way, Murphy-Brown has participated in groups that have advanced her interests in psychology and mental health.
"I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the APPLE Training Institute last winter (regarding student-athlete well-being), and from that, we started SECURE - a mental health and wellness group for student-athletes," Murphy-Brown recalled.
"I had actually been thinking about creating a group like this earlier in the year, and since we had to come away with an action plan of something to implement on campus after the institute, it was much easier to get something like that going," Murphy-Brown said. "I am very proud of what we have accomplished so far with kicking off SECURE and I hope we will actually make a positive impact on campus."
She continues to look for ways to put her knowledge to work in making life better for herself and other student-athletes.
"Mental health is something I am so passionate about because it continues to greatly affect me and many people close to me every day," Murphy-Brown affirmed. "Even though some aspects of my own mental illness have greatly improved, it will be something that will continue to affect me for the rest of my life. I hope to go into a career in mental health so I can be part of positive change and can help improve things that are lacking in the field."
Murphy-Brown commented that access to resources is lacking, or at least not easily found.
"It is definitely a privilege to be able to go to a therapist, and some people don't have that privilege," Murphy-Brown said. "I have also been thinking about the difficulty of getting mental health care when you do have access to it. It can be so difficult to just set up an appointment with a therapist because in my experience you have to jump through a bunch of hoops in order to get help most of the time. The process should be made much easier because if someone has been struggling with a mental illness, seeking help was likely already a very difficult thing for them, so making it extra difficult to get the help they need could be detrimental and might cause them to give up trying.
"Another thing that needs to be addressed is the stigma surrounding cisgender men seeking help for their mental health," Murphy-Brown added. "Our culture looks down on men expressing emotions, which causes them to suppress their emotions, and this leads to toxic masculinity and unhealthy coping mechanisms."
What is Murphy-Brown's best advice for student-athletes regarding mental health and wellness?
"To student-athletes I would like to say that your mental health is just as, if not more, important than your physical health," Murphy-Brown recommended. "Please take care of it. Putting in the time to care for your mental health is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself, and you can't care for others to the best of your ability until you care for yourself first. Also know that if you are struggling right now, it is only temporary and it will get better. SECURE, the Bishop Wellness Center, and so many other resources are available to you. Please utilize them!"
