Summer camp before fifth-grade brought more than new adventures for Mason Tepper, now 13.
"I was so confused at what anxiety was at the time, so I really didn't know what was going on," he said, as he reflected on the summer of 2022. Tepper is now a seventh grader at Deerfield's Caruso Middle School.
"He just kind of shut down, and wasn't interested in being with everybody else," said his dad, Joshua Tepper.
Mason came home in the middle of the session and began seeing a therapist. "She helped me cope and find different strategies to help my anxiety," he said.
During the same summer, a gunman opened fire on the July 4th parade in Highland Park, and Mason took note of the emotions it stirred throughout his community.
"A lot of people were anxious at the time and not knowing what to do, and they were scared," he explained. "So I wanted to let other people know that they're not alone."
He came up with the idea for Worry Free Wednesday (@worry_free__wednesday) and presented it as part of his campaign, when running for school secretary at Wilmot Elementary School.
"Kids would come in every Wednesday, write their worry on a piece of paper, so they can get it out of their mind. We would put it in a shredder," he explained. "The goal isn't necessarily to get rid of it right away. It's just to make it smaller."
Mason's efforts provided comfort to both his classmates and their families.
"A lot of parents were saying, 'Thank you so much.' And they're explaining that other kids had [anxiety], but they weren't really comfortable enough to share," he said.
Since then, Mason has worked to spread his message throughout the area, and across the globe, while also raising money to support the mental health of others.
By selling t-shirts and sweatshirts with the Worry Free Wednesday logo, he collected funds to benefit The Balance Project, a Highland Park-based non-profit providing financial assistance to those who need emotional wellness support.
Last fall, when the war in Israel started, Mason made a blue and white version of the Worry Free Wednesday logo, and sent some clothing with his rabbi on a visit to Israel. He also has donated some of the money he's raised to the Israel Defense Forces.
A competitive lacrosse player, Mason hopes that, by talking openly about mental health, he can help his fellow athletes. Others are listening.
Earlier this year, The Circuit Powered by Nike, a national lacrosse program, recognized Mason for his community service by honoring him with its "Man of the Year" award for his age group.
"Once more people know that it's OK to have anxiety, it can help bring people together," he said after accepting the award.
Mason says his anxiety is under control these days, but if it flares up again, he can quickly recall the tools his therapist taught him.
"I learned a bunch of breathing strategies, like Four-Square breathing. I also learned to write down my feelings, and that would help bring them out of my head. So that was one of the bigger ones that I like to do," he said.
While preparing for his bar mitzvah last summer, Mason wrote in his
d'var Torah
about Moses instructing the Israelites to overcome their fears, and likened that to his own experience.
"Everyone else can feel that it's OK to have anxiety and worries."
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Four-square breathing
Picture a square. Imagine tracing each side as you breathe:
1. Inhale for a count of 4
2. Hold for a count of 4
3. Exhale for a count of 4
4. Hold for a count of 4
Deep breathing is a great strategy to calm the nerves and reduce stress and anxiety.
Julie Mangurten Weinberg is a Northbrook-based freelance journalist with 25+ years of experience in broadcast, print, and digital media.
