Waking up. Thoughts cloudy. Barely being able to get out of bed. This is how some teens feel in the morning, and you expect them to go to school when they feel like this? Kids have suffered way too long just for the school to “shrug” mental health off like it’s nothing. It is a very real problem and we as a society should be doing something about it.
“Your mental health is a priority. Your happiness is essential. Your self-care is a necessity,” said Dawn Freeman.
Mental health has to become a priority for schools, most schools only pretend to care about your mental health, all they care about is what your next test score will be and what your final GPA is. Kids these days need a mental break from all the stress and anxiety that is going on in their lives. Taking a break every once in a while would be a great reset for students and teachers. One in five American adults experience a mental health issue and one in 10 kids experience a period of major depression.
Most parents and teachers might oppose this idea by saying that students might abuse this power. Such as they could use a mental health day for skipping school. The school might be concerned by the school’s overall attendance rates. Also, the students could fall behind if they take multiple mental health days in a row. But the positives outweigh the negatives.
Schools need to start putting mental health days into place. Right now lots of kids have problems with having an unexcused absence when they need a break from school. Having mental health days will not only benefit students but everyone in the environment around them. Overall they will have a better attitude and focus better. As of this moment, only Oregon and Utah allow students to take off a day to better their mental health. That needs to change. Our district or state needs to put at least 5 mental health days a semester into place for teachers and students because everyone once in a while needs a mental day off from the stress and anxieties of a normal day.
In conclusion, mental health days would benefit us entirely. As a society, we would be happy, stable, and be able to control our emotions. Most of the kids I know would love to have mental health days to sort out what’s all going on inside their heads. We could thrive, but only if we start to pay attention to mental health.