Mental Health Days

As a high school student, I have a lot going on and I don’t always put my mental health first. This leads to a lack of sleep, panic attacks and breakdowns. The feeling that I can’t stop working or I can’t miss a single day of school has clouded my judgment of when I need a break. The idea of mental health days has been a controversial topic since some people believe they aren’t necessary, and others believe they are. Before I tell you my options, what are mental health days? 

According to Webster Dictionary, a mental health day is a day for employees/students to take off work/school in order to relieve stress or renew vitality. Why would someone take a mental health day? According to Phycology Today, you should treat mental health like physical health. If you don’t address it, you won’t be able to perform your best. I have four reasons why I believe someone should take a mental health day: 

1. Take a day off to re-group. If someone is falling behind on work and keeps stressing out because of it, I believe they have a valid reason to say home and get work done without the stressful environment of school. If that person is productive that day, they will hopefully go back to school feeling better than the day before.  

1. You have been neglecting yourself. Having a me day can be good for the soul. A day spent focusing on yourself for once and trying to reduce stress can make a big difference in your week.  

1. Needing to sleep. Being sleep deprived has many negative effects on physical and mental wellbeing. Staying home to get a couple more hours of sleep if you have not been getting enough can improve your mental and physical being.  

1. Feeling worse mentally then normal. Mental illnesses are very common; some people are aware of them and others are not. It is important to know your mind and body and if you are aware that you are feeling more anxious or depressed then normal, it could be beneficial to take a day off.  

I believe that mental health days are important if used correctly. Mental health is important and should be taken seriously. School is stressful and students are told it is not okay to miss, but missing one day to improve your mental state should not be frowned upon.