{"id":2108,"date":"2025-07-11T17:37:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T17:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/2108\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T17:37:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T17:37:05","slug":"its-kind-of-a-rough-route-hes-walking-across-america-in-support-of-mens-mental-health-with-stop-in-clarksville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/2108\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s kind of a rough route\u2019: He\u2019s walking across America in support of men\u2019s mental health, with stop in Clarksville"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW<\/a>) \u2013 Tim Perreira has been walking from southern California across the United States for the past 126 days in support of men\u2019s mental health. His journey recently brought him to Clarksville, where he shared with Clarksville Now some of what he learned along the way.<\/p>\n

Perreira said mile one began at Newport Beach, California, and his journey led him through the sunshine state and into Arizona. From there, he walked through the Navajo Nation to northern and eastern New Mexico, then to southern Kansas and Springfield, Missouri.<\/p>\n

\u201cI then made my way across the Mississippi (River) just last week and of course, I\u2019m currently in Clarksville,\u201d Perreira previously said. \u201cI\u2019m going to make my way toward Nashville, Knoxville, Roanoke, before ultimately ending in Virginia Beach. It\u2019s kind of a rough route.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Tim Perreira as he makes his way across the United States. (Contributed by Tim Perreira)
\n\u2018A valley of my own mental health\u2019<\/p>\n

While the walk so far has taken over four months, Perreira said his journey in support of men\u2019s mental health started much earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trip really started as a bit of a personal journey and challenge for me,\u201d Perreira said. \u201cI can rewind back to 2020 when I was kind of at the peak, or a better way to frame, a \u2018valley\u2019 of my own mental health. I\u2019d been battling with depression and anxiety for the better part of four years. I was in a really high-pressure, high-performance tech sales role; I was in sales leadership; I had worked out of cities like San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, working for some high-growth startups.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of the traditional 9-to-5 corporate route. Everything on paper was going really well, making good money. I was climbing the ladder and living in these awesome cities. \u2026 But on the inside, things felt like they were on a decline,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Perreira said he\u2019d never had these feelings before, and he didn\u2019t know how to deal with them. \u201cLike a lot of men, I kept trying to work through it; I kept trying to push through it; I kept acting like nothing was wrong. Didn\u2019t want to speak up, didn\u2019t want to share my challenges. I wanted everybody to think I had everything together. \u2026 All of these lies, stories, self-limiting beliefs, they really pushed me further and further into this more troubling state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bouncing back from rock bottom<\/p>\n

Later in 2020, after eventually being fired from his job, Perreira hit rock bottom. However, this served as a bounce-back point for him, as he realized that everything that he had been going through wasn\u2019t because of the need for a better job, selling a different product, or making more money. Rather, the process forced Perreira to look inward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was led down the path of learning about regulating my emotions, how to do things like manage stress, while taking care of my physical body with exercise, sunshine, getting great sleep, eating whole foods and eliminating a lot of toxins from my diet.\u201d This path also led Perreira to open his own business that supports men\u2019s mental health, while eventually leading him to walk across the United States for the cause as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tim Perreira as he makes his way across the United States. (Contributed by Tim Perreira)<\/p>\n

In 2024, as he continued to battle his depression, Perreira was inspired by a video he saw online that showed another person\u2019s journey of walking across the U.S. \u201cImmediately, I thought I\u2019m doing that,\u201d he said. \u201cOver the next three days, I obsessed with learning about it, planning it, looking at routes. I thought to myself, is this even possible?\u201d<\/p>\n

After receiving overwhelming support from his friends and family, he decided he would walk across the nation, while sharing his experiences along the way via social media. While he provided updates online, Perreira chose to not listen to music, podcasts or audiobooks, and putting his phone away for hours on end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be present, use it as a chance to get to know myself better,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I did say if I\u2019m going to do that, I might as well also raise money for men\u2019s mental health. So, I found a charity that works with men\u2019s health, mental health and suicide prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Destination: Virginia Beach<\/p>\n

Perreira began walking across the United States on March 6 of this year and now, he has less than 700 miles before he reaches Virginia Beach.<\/p>\n

When asked about his message to those who also struggle with depression and anxiety, he told Clarksville Now it\u2019s important to always remember you are not alone. \u201cYou are not the only one going through it, even though it feels like it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Perreira\u2019s story and mission, visit his Instagram<\/a>. If interested in donating to his cause, visit his GoFundMe<\/a>. All of the donations will go to Movember<\/a>. Currently, more than $53,000 has been raised out of his fundraising goal of $65,000.<\/p>\n

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