At one time, if you had asked for a mental health day at work, it would have earned you a look that spoke volumes. It would have been denied if you submitted an excuse to your student’s school for a mental health day absence.
Luckily, more and more states are allowing students to take mental health days, just as more jobs are. As the topic of mental health becomes more prevalent and important than ever, let’s look at some of the ways it affects our youth.
Non-Profit Mental Health Organization Numbers
The numbers from the non-profit mental health organization don’t lie. They state that over half of Americans suffer from mental illnesses but receive no treatment. If that’s the case with adults, then what’s the case with children and teenagers who seem to fall through the cracks?
If we were to give students a set number of mental health days they could take advantage of a year, then maybe we could begin to take steps toward focusing on and supporting their long-term mental health.
Benefits of Mental Health Days for Students
There are many benefits to students taking mental health days, not including the fact that it allows them to rest their minds and come back stronger the next day.
Taking a day just to unwind and relax can do wonders for your kids and their health and grades. You might be wondering why a student would need a day to repair their mental health; keep reading to find out a few different reasons.
A Few Reasons Your Student Might Need a Mental Health Day
If you remember back to when you were in middle school, high school, and especially college, you’ll remember how stressful it was for you. Here are a few reasons that your child might be in need of a day of their own.
Relationship Problems
Navigating being a teenager is hard; it gets even harder when you add in relationship problems. Your kids are also building relationships with their peers, and when one of those friendships hits a snag, kids take it hard. Not only does it affect them physically, but it also affects them emotionally and mentally as well. It’s important to be on the lookout for unhealthy relationships that your teenager might form and be ready to have an open line of communication.
Pressure to Perform
There’s more pressure than ever in today’s world for students to make top grades and get into a good college. It’s been proven that it’s hard to find a job even with a high school diploma, so there is often a lot of pressure to get in and graduate from a college in order to find a good job.
On top of that, college is expensive, so most parents are stressed about where the money will come from. Kids pick up on this stress and feel like it’s their fault. This can lead to stress affecting their grades, making your kid even more stressed. Stress isn’t healthy, so a mental health day can help your student get back on track.
There is much debate over whether mental health days should exist at all, but from what science shows, they are a very good idea. Where do you fall on the mental health day debate? Do you think students should have them? What about adults? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
