Men's Mental Health: Bringing a New Meaning to the Phrase “Man Up”

In case you missed it, MMA fighter Paddy “the Baddy” Pimblett recently spoke out after his fight on men’s mental health and the stigma surrounding it. In a post that’s been viewed over 11 million times on Instagram, Paddy mentions how he would rather have his friend cry on his shoulder than to be crying holding his friends casket at their funeral. During the emotional speech, he pleaded with the audience and everyone watching at home to please reach out to someone when they’re going through a difficult time. So why is there such a stigma around men’s mental health? What’s keeping men from speaking out?

As society moves towards the importance of mental health and speaking out, there are still a long journey ahead. Starting at a young age, men are told to “man up” and taught to bottle up their emotions. For some, sports become the outlet for these unchecked feelings. I recently interviewed former collegiate athletes about their athletic experience. Although most described sports to be a form of stress relief, they also described it as the cause of their stress. One football player enlightened me on the experience of being an offensive lineman playing at the collegiate level. He said that all throughout the recruiting process and throughout his playing years, he was always praised for being aggressive and that was something that coaches would specifically look for in recruits. But after he transitioned out of football, he revealed that although he missed the comradery of playing on the team, the thing he missed most was the aggression and the ability to let those frustrations out in a socially acceptable way. Athletes are expected to perform regardless of how they are feeling or what’s going on with their personal lives, so how do athletes, more specifically, male athletes, deal with those kind of emotions after sport?

Our goal at Beyond the League is to provide one on one coaching, social supports and spaces to let voices of athletes be heard and to remind you that you’re not alone on this journey. We can also provide tools to help with emotional regulation and stress management so you are better equipped when dealing with whatever life throws at you. It’s not always easy but just like sports, it’ll take time and practice, but together we’ll get there!

More Mental Health Resources for Athletes

Beyond the League: This organization offers individual coaching sessions virtually or in-person sessions if you are in California for collegiate and professional athletes.

The Players’ Tribune Mental Health Awareness Collection: This platform provides athletes the chance to share their personal stories, including mental health experiences: https://www.theplayerstribune.com

Strength over Silence: Tackling Mental Health Stigma: Watch as Cleveland Browns offensive tackle, Chris Hubbard, shares the importance of mental health care: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Video-Resource-Library/Tackling-Mental-Health-Stigma

Athletes Connected: Athletes Connected is a program developed to conduct research and raise awareness about mental health issues and reducing the stigma of asking for help. For more information: https://athletesconnected.umich.edu

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Meet Diana Mellin!

Diana is a graduate student finishing up her doctorate in occupational therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in San Marcos, CA. She is currently working on her capstone project which focuses on the mental health impacts of athletic retirement. She was inspired to pursue this topic from her own personal experiences with athletic retirement. After being cut from her high school soccer team and then suffering a concussion that cut her last season of club soccer short, she had a difficult time adjusting to this “new life” without sport. Throughout her research findings, she realized that she wasn’t the only former athlete struggling to adjust during this transitional period. Her goal is to continue to advocate for proper services for this population and to provide the tools to engage in new roles, routines, and meaningful activities after sport.