FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) – Kids of all ages have had a tough time adjusting to pandemic life and the result has been a rise in adolescent depression.
However, one local high school student has taken it upon himself to tackle his own mental health by propelling himself new heights.
Brady Hansmann is a student at Bentonville high school and someone who just couldn’t take sitting at home, instead of letting the pandemic get the best of him,Hansmann learned to how fly
“When COVID-19 first hit and schools were getting shut down I was pretty excited, just like most kids, we get to go home and play video games stuff like that,” says Hansmann.
But the excitement didn’t last long. “We found out pretty quick that it was pretty depressing,” says Hansmann.
“When me and my wife saw how isolated during COVID that he was, and you could kind of tell the attitude change a little bit, we knew we needed to get him out of the house we needed to find something,” add Hansmann’s father, Tony Hansmann.
The solution, trading in his Xbox controller for the Yoke of an airplane.
“Knowing that my dad was a pilot and had gotten his licence a couple years ago it allowed me to come up here and pursue it,” says Hansmann.
Now after all the hard work Hansmann put in, while most 16-year olds are exciting about getting behind the wheel of a car, he’s proud to announce he can now even fly without anyone else in the plane.
“It’s unreal, you know it’s a whole other feel from going from a car to going 150 miles an hour in the air,” says Hansmann.
I spoke to one local therapist who tells me activities like this are a great way to overcome any sort of depression, however, it’s not limited to airplanes. She tells me sports, arts, and time spent outside are other great alternatives.