Desert Hills High School football player tackles mental health

St. George, Utah – At Desert Hills High School in St. George, a freshman football player is attempting to dispel the stigma associated with mental health.

Ashden Zufelt, the Thunder’s center, does something out of the ordinary as the team takes the field.

“I walk out and I carry this banner, and it’s essentially for mental health awareness,” Zufelt stated. “Men tend to be afraid to talk about it and other related topics, and I just kind of want to remove the stigma associated with it.”

The 15-year-old Zufelt has stepped out before every game this season to unveil a banner with the 988 hotline number on it, which anyone can contact in the event of mental illness or emotional trouble.

Suicidal ideation, or an obsession with the thought of taking one’s own life, had previously been diagnosed in both his mother and sister. Then it occurred to Ashden that he might have been on the same downward spiral.

“I was just kind of texting my friend to let him know how I was feeling when he ended up telling his mom, who then messaged my mom, and I ended up talking to my parents about it.” And that’s basically where it all began,” he remarked.

Ashden discovered that something else worked well as a treatment in addition to medicine.

“Talking to others and engaging in a lot of positive self-talk are really good ways to deal with it,” he stated.

Ashden concluded that his opening game banner was the most effective way to inform people. At her school, his sister Kajlyn is spearheading the “Stay Here” mental health and suicide prevention initiative.

According to their father, they have taught the grownups valuable lessons.

It benefits me since I’m more conscious of other people’s sentiments as well as my own. Ben Zufelt remarked, “I find that I am more understanding of people in general because you never know what they are going through.”

Although many have claimed social media has harmed people his age, his son pointed out that there have also been advantages.

There are ups and downs to it, according to Zufelt. While it’s simple for someone to make fun of or bully someone for having a mental illness or anything similar, it’s also simple to locate groups of individuals who have the same diagnosis as you.

The Thunder Center hopes that by raising awareness, the banner will encourage people of all ages to speak with a trusted individual or a mental health professional. He claimed classmates had now approached him for assistance.

According to Zufelt, “I’ve helped them look at themselves in a different way and be more open about it.” “Yes, I do feel brave about it.”