Joanna Nesamony
eSomethin staff
In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 40% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Mental health is important for a student’s well-being, as we reach the end third quarter feelings of stress and anxiety continue to arise as SATs and state tests draw closer.
Many factors can lead to a student’s poor mental health as Mrs. Ashley Cunningham, Perrysburg High School’s school nurse, says. “Stress, not getting enough sleep every night, too much social media, feeling pressured to be perfect, committing yourself to too many extracurriculars, comparing yourself to others and trying to be like them,” Cunningham said.
If the third quarter blues are disrupting your mental health, here’s some ways to practice good self-care and self-love to help your school days feel a little bit better.
School pressure is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to student mental health. The best way to take some weight off your shoulders is to be easy on yourself and plan your week out.
Mona Gill, a member of the Mindfulness Club says “making a game plan, looking at your week and kind of planning out how you will manage your time and your schoolwork can be very helpful.” She added, “typically, what I do when I’m super stressed and I have a workload, I give myself some grace.”
Taking things one step at time and being kind to yourself can help get some of the academic pressure off of your shoulders.
Being able to also balance homework and spending time doing things that bring you joy is important, too. Mrs. Riley Delben, a counselor here at PHS, says, “planning time in your schedule for things that are fun like spending time with quality friends, or things that you enjoy doing.”
Balance is important to having a well rounded school year and a peace of mind.
But when times get really tough, having someone to talk to about your feelings can help ease discomfort. The American Heart Association states that having strong emotional support can better psychological health and improve physical health as well.
If you’re unsure about who to talk to, counselors at our school are always here to help with student stress.
The school also offers clubs like the Mindfulness Club that improve mental health through meditation and more.
As the year is closer to reaching its end, making sure to have a good mindset and treating ourselves with kindness can help us push through the rest of high school.
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