{"id":70174,"date":"2021-01-26T15:45:36","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T20:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=70174"},"modified":"2021-01-26T16:27:41","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T21:27:41","slug":"former-student-athlete-urges-people-to-talk-about-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2021\/01\/former-student-athlete-urges-people-to-talk-about-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Former student-athlete urges people to talk about mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abbey Morris (BA \u201919) has had a complicated dance with mental health.<\/p>\n

The former Brock University student-athlete spent years plagued with anxiety and depression, ultimately leading to an eating disorder. But after facing her struggles head-on, the champion cheerleader has harnessed her strength in hopes of encouraging others to also get the help they need.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout my life, mental health has been both invisible and undetectable, and then undeniably apparent to the eye,\u201d said Morris, who was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa during her final year of university.<\/p>\n

As Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day approaches on Thursday, Jan. 28<\/a>, Morris is speaking out about confronting her own inner conflicts and sharing how Brock University and its cheerleading team helped her get through some of the darkest times of her life.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Abbey Morris helped the Brock Cheer team win multiple medals at the ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Fla., in 2019.<\/p><\/div>\n

Growing up in Niagara surrounded by a loving family, Morris spent her childhood competing in multiple sports and activities from rep hockey to dance. She\u2019s been physically strong for as long as she can remember, and never feared the bends, twists and flips required of a gymnast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to be afraid of the ball as a youth soccer player, but spontaneously changing the orientation of my head to my toes was never intimidating,\u201d she said. \u201cThese acrobatic thrills never wore off.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fearlessness and endless energy gave Morris an edge in the world of cheerleading. She made the roster of her first elite team in 2010 and competed at high levels of cheer throughout her career.<\/p>\n

Before attending Brock, Morris was a standout athlete for two cheerleading clubs \u2014 Niagara Cheerleading and Scorpions Niagara \u2014 and served as the captain of her cheerleading team at Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School in St. Catharines.<\/p>\n

In her four years at Brock, she helped elevate the Badgers Cheer team to new heights as they won at the ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Fla., with gold, silver and bronze medals. She also played a key role on the inaugural Canadian team that competed at the FISU World University Cheerleading Championship and earned a bronze medal in Poland.<\/p>\n

Morris would often get swept up in the lively world of cheerleading, but behind the smiles brought on by the overtly positive nature of the sport was a deep mental health struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a good life and my family was always caring and supportive, so I felt guilty for feeling unhappy,\u201d Morris said. She attended therapy sessions and quietly took prescribed Prozac to battle what she called \u201can unsteady sense of self.\u201d<\/p>\n

She only used the words anxiety and depression in the doctor\u2019s office, not daring to speak them beyond the exam room doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking like that about myself out in the world felt inconceivable,\u201d said Morris, who didn\u2019t feel deserving of help. \u201cLike I would be branded as the girl crying wolf, or worse, one just looking for attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

She became obsessed with controlling the way her body appeared and the number on the scale, and developed a compulsive need to exercise while restricting food intake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wars in my head slowly manifested into physical complications in my body,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n

She entered her final year as co-captain of the Badgers Cheer team looking gaunt and unwell. It struck fear in the people around her, causing her friends, family and teammates to ask questions and make comments about her health. Her friendships became strained and she recalled the walls she built to keep others out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can still see myself sitting across from the therapist, who I still see to this day, with my arms crossed and barely complying to participate on behalf of the friends who set up the appointment out of concern,\u201d she said. \u201cI refused to speak the words \u2018eating disorder.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The situation took its toll on Morris\u2019s body, impacting her ability to compete and ultimately sending her for emergency bowel surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t truly nourishing myself and I was very disconnected from my body,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cheer head coach Tara Savoie, who was there for Morris throughout this challenging time in her life, called it \u201cextremely difficult\u201d to see one of her athletes struggling.<\/p>\n

She helped Morris connect with Brock Sports and the proper professionals who could help her on her road to recovery.<\/p>\n

Savoie frequently reassured Morris that both the team and Brock Sports staff were always there to listen and support her.<\/p>\n

Following her successful surgery and having accepted that help was needed, Morris began her path to wellness.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy time at Brock opened my eyes to a magnitude of resolutions for what seemed like an insolvable problem,\u201d she said. \u201cThe bravest words one could say is \u2018I think I need your help.\u2019 Bravery is not pushing your feelings down and using a smile as a Band-Aid. It\u2019s not saying \u2018never mind\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m fine.\u2019 We need to abruptly stop the notion that to be human and feel human is wrapped in weakness, shame and failure. I know all too well the feeling of not wanting to say it out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris said she witnessed an evolution of openly talking about uncomfortable subjects, such as mental health, during her time at the University. That progression has continued, she said, and has rightfully earned Brock a first-place ranking for student mental health resources<\/a> among all comprehensive universities in Canada, according to the national Maclean\u2019s<\/em> University Rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time I was nearing graduation, not only was the conversation about mental health getting louder, but I was also no longer afraid to participate in it,\u201d said Morris, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication Studies, including a minor in Sociology. \u201cAll of these services existed, yet I lacked the awareness that they could be talking to me. I had a vicious story of myself for a long time and took a while to accept mental health into the narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe close-knit community at Brock always created this feeling of a safe space for me. It made a difference in what I was going through,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That sense of safety and support is woven into the fabric of Brock University.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Brock Sports, we want our student-athletes to know they are not alone,\u201d said Emily Allan, Interim Director of Brock Sports. \u201cAbbey\u2019s experience is not unique \u2014 there are many others like her, and we want those people to know we are here for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not easy to be a student-athlete,\u201d Allan said. \u201cBalancing academics and athletics is no easy feat and requires an immense amount of focus, drive, discipline and time management, not to mention physical energy. Our coaches and staff recognize this and want you to know we are always here to listen, to support and to help direct you to the proper resources and supports you need.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the many mental health resources available at Brock, visit\u00a0brockmentalhealth.ca<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0brocku.ca\/swac<\/a><\/p>\n

Morris has now dedicated her life to helping others find a sense of well-being. She works as a yoga and meditation instructor who specializes in teaching people going through eating disorder recovery. She recently raised $1,000 for Body Brave, an eating disorder treatment centre in Hamilton, through teaching virtual yoga classes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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