“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you,” said author Anne Lamott.
The author may have not been talking about high school students, but her words certainly apply to our lives.
As we approach the end of the first quarter of the school year, it is no surprise that more and more students are facing burnout, working late into the night on academics, while balancing extracurriculars and trying to maintain a social life.
Sure, we have holiday breaks throughout the year, and summer break is long. But today’s teenage students need a different kind of opportunity to rest and recharge.
During the 2020-2021 school year, North Allegheny implemented Wellness Wednesdays, where students had one day in the middle of each week to complete asynchronous work from home. Hardly any students were happy to see Wellness Wednesdays discontinued the following year.
It is time to bring back the wellness days, even if they cannot be scheduled weekly. Even two or three days per quarter would offer significant rest and recovery. Students could sleep in, catch up on work, schedule an online meeting with a teacher or counselor, or just take a break.
Occasional wellness days may seem like a small change, but in reality they could help to counteract larger issues, such as anxiety and depression. According to the CDC, “1 in 3 U.S. high school students reported their mental health was not good most of the time or always during the past 30 days.”
Mental health days can also help to improve students’ academic performance. The American Psychological Association states that stress impacts memory and analytical skills. The occasional mid-week break from the routines of in-person schooling can help students function better over the long term.
Another benefit of the mental health days is increased happiness. Researchers at Inner Body Labs conducted a survey of over 700 adults, who were asked to rate their happiness on a scale of one to ten after a mental health day. 91.5% of the surveyed adults rated their happiness above a five. It is hard to imagine that young adults would not experience similar results.
Furthermore, mental health days can help to prevent burnout. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that 60% of high school students experience academic burnout. An occasional day off to catch up or practice self-care can make it more likely that students are fit to succeed through all four quarters of the school year.
Of course, one concern about wellness days is that they give students too much time off. But consider the example of UNC Chapel Hill, which implements two “well-being days” per semester in order to provide “the opportunity to focus on mental health and overall well-being.”
Locally, Clairton School District recently designated one day per month for teachers to spend on professional development, while the students complete remote learning at their own pace. Although the policy is geared towards improving teacher retention, students, too, get a chance to recharge.
It’s time to implement wellness days throughout the year. School has always been about more than the grades students receive — it is about preparation for life, a life where you must learn to listen to what your body and mind need. The occasional day for students to operate on their own schedule and take care of their own needs will promote countless benefits, so why wait?
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Editors’ note: All opinions expressed on The Uproar are a reflection solely of the beliefs of the bylined author and not the journalism program at NASH. We continue to welcome school-appropriate comments and guest articles.
