Students face a variety of mental issues in high schools today, including stress, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and low self-esteem. With schools’ single-minded focus on academic readiness and task completion, sometimes teachers and staff can lack the proper empathy and accommodation for these damaging problems that highly diminish teenagers’ mental health. The school should prioritize the stability of their students over academic success by having therapeutic counselors available for students to see during class. These counselors can help youths manage stress among other things, and even under circumstances allow them some time to recoup in the library.
Mental health issues continue to rise in adolescents, meaning students require more assistance now than ever. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 40% of teenagers report feeling persistently sad or hopeless, about 20% heavily consider suicide, and 10% attempted to commit suicide. Rising trends in these concerning cases indicate that students need a lot of help and time to process their emotions and feel okay about themselves existentially. Yet, the amount of time that school takes and the prolific stress it piles onto studying minds only contribute to the mental stress youths experience. Therefore, staff should indulge teenagers’ needs for brain breaks and resets.
As discussed above, teenagers spend an overwhelming portion of their time in school. They spend approximately 35 hours a week in school, excluding time used for homework, studying, or extracurricular activities, which vary according to the individual student. Even with the minimum amount of time spent on school or coursework, school plays an extremely demanding role in a student’s life. This adds a great amount of stress to a teenager’s life, which can potentially lead to a decline in mental health and larger issues like irritability, anxiety, burnout, and even contribute to fatigue or weakened physical systems.
Some would argue that teenagers would abuse their resources if they had access to counselors and free time, but the employees would closely monitor their freedoms and not acquiesce to all of the students’ wants. Additionally, one will find that more often than not, students need more assistance than even they realize or opt for. Sometimes, a little extra time for a brain break can relieve stress by helping them put the importance of school in perspective.
To alleviate the substantial mental issues of students, therapeutic counselors should have availability to talk to students about whatever issues they’re facing and help them work through their problems. Furthermore, these counselors can permit them to spend a period in the library if they deem it fitting. Access to these resources will give students a safe place to recover from stress and collect themselves, maintaining their sanity and mental health.
