May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year it seems to coincide with a flurry of stressors that can make everyday life overwhelming. This conversation is especially poignant for Michael Evans Behling, the actor best known for his role in The CW’s explosive teen drama, All American. The 27-year-old has become a fan favorite for his portrayal of quarterback Jordan Baker since the show’s 2018 premiere.
With his character on a journey to becoming more mature, Behling opened up about how his mindset as he, too, has matured over the years.
To Behling, “Part of [Jordan’s] journey is parallel to mine,” Behling told Blavity.
“In season one, we definitely see him deal with [an] identity crisis and as a young adult myself,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum revealed, “That was something that I struggled with. So to be able to play that through him, through his eyes, through his lens, it was therapeutic in a way to pat my younger self on the back and say, you know what, it’s okay.”
The Columbus native is focused on taking All American’s dedication to discussing mental health and making that commitment in his own life.
“Believing in myself and believing that I’m worthy of things, that’s something that I’m working on through my therapy,” he said.
The staunch mental health proponent works closely with American Eagle’s initiative with Bring Change to Mind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging dialogue around mental health.
This last year, he visited a Los Angeles high school for the initiative and mentored kids on erasing this stigma around mental health. Behling was impressed and moved by this generation of youth which inspired him “to dig a little bit deeper into my own self.”
He further expressed how fortunate he felt to be in the position to potentially be the voice of reason for some of these kids to see there’s “light at the end of the tunnel.”
Co-founded by actress and activist Glenn Close, the organization specializes in ending discrimination surrounding mental health while bringing awareness to the many environmental factors that can have devastating impacts on the mental health of communities of color.
America’s mental health crisis has a widespread impact that touches everyone, but especially the Black community. Research suggests Black Americans are still not receiving the care and treatment they need for their mental health.
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“It’s tough to break out of those [stigmas] because that’s what you’ve been taught your entire life,” the Empire actor said.
According to recent studies, depressive symptoms are more disabling, persistent and treatment-resistant than for Black people than white people.
“You also don’t know how to do the things that you should be doing [for your mental health] because of the stigma and because of that systemic racism,” Behling concurred.
Black men are particularly concerned about stigma. They are also not only affected by general barriers many in the Black community face but also internalized toxic behaviors around Black masculinity.
“I think that [this conversation] is more important in Black communities and [with] young Black men because of what we’re taught: to be strong, to push our emotions away,” Behling said.
Research finds that Black men are more likely than white men to endorse aspects of traditional masculine ideology, such as the need to act tough and avoid expressing themselves emotionally.
“And I don’t think that’s fair,” the 27-year-old said. “I don’t think that that’s fair for anybody to feel that type of way, but especially young Black men who grow up and they’re told that every single day.”
Black people also have long-held beliefs in their social circles that mild depression or anxiety is considered “crazy.” The actor emphasizes this point.
“If you do work on or work through your mental health,” he said, “You’re seen as that word that you shouldn’t use — that ‘crazy’ word — if you go out and take care of yourself.”
For Black men in particular, outside pressure and even pressure from within those Black communities can make caring for your mental health even more difficult, Behling acknowledged.
“feeling like you’re worthy of love, feeling like you’re worthy of the good things that come to you in your life…that’s something that I really struggle with internally with myself,” he said.
Beyond therapy, the actor has his own ritual in caring for his mental health. Exercise is a big part of it.
“I challenge anybody who might be finding themselves dealing with a little bit of maybe anxiety or even low energy or variations of depression to challenge yourself to get up and just move,” he suggested.
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What also gives him “such serotonin” is to reset/start his week on Sunday with an afternoon drive through nature or 10 minutes of meditation. Beyond maintenance around his skin care, Behling reveals his commitment to a five-minute gratitude journal.
“It helps to keep you grounded and keep you understanding where you are in your journey and to not take anything for granted,” he said. “Even on the days where you might feel a little lower than normal…even just sitting down and taking five minutes to just really think about what you have, I think, is crucial to stay grounded in this world.”
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All American was recently renewed for its sixth season. The finale for its fifth season, “Now That We’ve Found Love,” airs Monday, May 15, at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.
