A few weeks ago, Dr. Jason Jefferson, the principal of Park View High School, experienced a moment in his life where he found himself dealing with grief. He lost a family member that was close to him. Instead of giving himself a moment to acknowledge his emotions, Jefferson went on with his normal schedule and got ready for work. But before he reached his truck, he found himself paused. Stuck. At this moment, he took a step back, and took a look at the situation and decided he wouldn’t go to work and allow himself a moment to think about his feelings.

“You need to stay home, and you need to get your own [emotions], if you will, together before you can go be around people because it’s not fair to other people, or yourself, for you to not completely be there,” said Jefferson. 

During this time, Dr. Jefferson used prayer, breathing methods, and time spent in nature to cope.

“On a lot of the weekends you’ll find me outside, messing in my yard,” said Jefferson.

Jefferson believes men’s mental health deserves more of the recognition it receives during November throughout the year. Nonetheless, Men Mental Health Awareness month is celebrated in November at Park View, where struggles men might be falling victim to are recognized. 

Dr. Jefferson mentioned how, growing up, a common stereotype for young boys was to develop a cold front to their emotions. 

“I think for men, at least of my generation and older, we are taught to be strong, and you know, don’t cry, and persevere and just push through no matter what,” said Jefferson.

Sebastian Zerpa, a senior at Park View, has also noticed that there is a stereotype for men to conceal their emotions instead of expressing them. He believes this is an unhealthy practice, and that it’s important for all people to deal with their emotions first hand. Some of the strategies he uses to deal with them include listening to music and going on walks.

“If you don’t actually understand that you’re sad and you’re just like, ‘No, I’m good,’ it’s going to get worse later,” said Zerpa.

Park View’s school psychologist, Mr. David Thompson, also gave his thoughts about this stereotype.

“I think that’s one of the risk factors for boys, that they’re not good at talking about their emotions in general,”  said Thompson.

Mr. Thompson also offered advice for students who might be struggling with their mental health.

“If you just talk to somebody, especially if you talk to your teacher, they can kind of give you a solution or just let you know that the sky is not falling.” said Thompson

Even though men often look over their feelings of depression or uncertainty instead of searching for solutions, a constant factor remains: the faculty at Park View is constantly providing support. Not just in the counseling office, but throughout the building as well.

“There are a lot of people around here that really care about you all,” said Thompson.