SACRAMENTO, Calif. — High school senior Maddux Eckerling credits exercise for saving his life.
The 18-year-old spent 10 days in the hospital in late 2021 after a suicide attempt.
“When I got out of the hospital, I was struggling with figuring out how I can deal with my mental illness and how I can recover," Eckerling said. "And the best thing I found was going to the climbing gym."
Dealing with mental health issues is a problem for young people across the nation. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 32% of teens experience anxiety, and 37% have feelings of hopelessness.
"I am part of that statistic," Eckerling said while speaking at a mental health rally outside the California State Capitol. "[Being active] taught me that movement is the key to a happier day. The days I start with movement whether that be exercise or stretching, I can feel my day improve."
Eckerling has made it his mission to help others who find themselves in similar situations. He is the president of the Bring Change to Mind club at his high school. The nonprofit is focused on ending stigma around mental health.
"When I do school events, students will come up to me afterward and be like, 'I was really struggling, and listening to you talk really allowed me to accept what I was going through and really helped me figure out how I can be better as well,'" said Eckerling.
Eckerling joined mental health advocates like First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom at the first annual "California Moves" event in Sacramento. The rally was hosted by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well Being, which Siebel Newsom co-chairs.
The event helped raise awareness about the essential role of movement and mindfulness in our overall well-being. It included interactive activities such as yoga, Zumba and dancing to help people get active and learn healthy habitats.
A UCLA study shows exercise helps improve one’s mental health and reduce feelings of stress and depression.
Siebel Newsom, a mother of four, knows the importance of prioritizing youth mental health on a personal level. She puts an emphasis on finding ways to be outside and to take a break from technology.
“Part of my recommendation to parents is to model what you wish for your children," she said. "So if your kids aren’t moving enough, if they’re spending too much time online, then just get out and take a walk around the block with them."
The rally provided Siebel Newsom and state leaders the opportunity to meet and talk with youth like Maddux, who shared the mental health struggles he’s faced as a high school student and LQBTQ youth.
“The more we listen to youth, the better off we’ll all be, and we also have to remember if we’re parents or adults that we actually grew up in a different world without technology and without all these pressures,” Siebel Newsom added. “And so in some ways we have the opportunities to slow the world down for them and to also show them where technology can be useful to them, but it’s also harmful and detrimental.”
The California Moves event kicked-off Mental Health Awareness month. The campaign’s website states there will be events throughout the month focused on educating and celebrating different ways Californians can move their bodies for mental and physical health.
Siebel Newsom encourages parents to visit California’s youth mental health resource hub there they can find several organizations and hotlines that offer help.
As for Eckerling, he’ll be attending San Francisco State University after he graduates from high school this spring. He plans to major in sociology and earn a master’s degree in social work. One day, he hopes to be back at the capitol to work on advancing mental health policies.
“While it was really hard to go through what I went through, it was for a reason because now I’m able to have this knowledge and this passion to help others have it better,” he said.
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