Hannah Tiller, Editor in Chief
@hannahtcourant
In times when students are constantly checked for if they feel sick, mental health is often put on the back-burner. But what about when the stress piles on, anxiety leads to nail-biting, and it feels like the world is collapsing in on you? Mental Health Days may be the answer.
Mental Health Days are a great way for students to reset and take a step back from a stressful lifestyle. Taking a day off from school to prioritize emotional health can be an awesome opportunity to catch up on work or get some much-needed sleep. As a student-athlete, I’ve found myself gasping for air under the loads of work and expectations that push down on me. Being able to step back from the usual schedule to breathe for a moment by “playing hooky” is a luxury in my mind.
Social Worker Rachel Hartong recommends using Mental Health days to practice self care and stress management strategies like meditation. “If you notice that the balance is off between your commitments/schoolwork and time to engage in self care activities like exercising, restful sleeping, spending time with friends and family, etc., it may be time to take a mental health break and reset,” Ms. Hartong said.
Don’t get me wrong, the idea of skipping school is not something that most parents or the school would support. To most parents, the idea of skipping school would bring to mind wild adventures straight out of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. But playing hooky and prioritizing mental health is very different.
When I asked Ms. Hartong her thoughts on Mental Health Days, she did first note that she could not support absences as a staff member of the high school. Nonetheless, she found that a reset may be necessary for some students, especially those with larger mental health issues.
In my experience, I find myself taking a mental health day once a school year. This one day may be during a particularly overwhelming week, though I am sure to avoid missing tests, projects, and other essential work. This one day is a breath of fresh air, a taste of the weekend, a day I can use my extra time to self check. This one day should be supported by the school.
So, why would an absence for mental health not be taken as seriously as an absence for physical health issues? With a doctor’s note, an absence for a cold can be excused. At what point will the school open its eyes to the fact that expecting students to attend school and follow busy schedules robotically is not an expectation that puts a student’s emotional well being first?
Take it from Ferris Buller, who said, “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
