Mental Health Of Students Should Not Be Neglected
An excerpt from Hailey Hardcastle’s TED Talk on mental health.
I recently saw a TED Talk by Hailey Hardcastle on the topic of mental health of students, titled “Why Students Should Have Mental Health Days”, and got inspired to write this article. Let me just start off by stating that mental health is a concept that we’re not comfortable talking about, openly. That’s just how it always has been. And perhaps it is finally time to change that notion.
Mental State Of Students
Stress, anxiety, and depression are some of the common mental health issues that we all know of. Reading about these issues or talking about them is one thing, and actually suffering from any of these is another case. I have a friend who was diagnosed with depression and he used to take medications to deal with it. Once, when I asked him to elaborate on how it feels like, he stated that it is like:
“Cooking yourself up on the inside”. — Statement of a depressed individual.
To be honest, I was merely able to grasp what that meant, but I did learn one thing that day, which is: mental health cannot be ignored at any cost.
Unfortunately, many people fail to realize that our mental health is just as important as our physical health, and therefore, neglect it. Students or young people in general, don’t feel comfortable discussing their mental issues with others. It is understandable because people prefer to keep these issues, a secret.
Different statistics show that with the passage of time, the mental health of students has been on a speedy decline. The world is becoming more competitive by the day and a majority of students have a hard time adjusting to this pace of the world. Your midterm exam is taking place soon and you’re worried about getting dropped out if your performance isn’t satisfactory, your grades aren’t good enough as compared to others, your assignment is not what your teacher expects….all these small matters are sometimes taking a big toll on the mental health of students.
I’m not specifically talking about diagnosed mental health issues, but even minor complications and trivial worries can transform into something substantial. And this is not the same for every student as some are able to cope better than others. But I’m saying that it is obvious that these mental issues are prevalent in a majority of young people from ages 16–24 according to statistics all around the globe. And most of the time, the people suffering from these issues don’t even realize it themselves.
Students Need Mental Health Days
Hailey Hardcastle, in her talk, talks about how her mother allowed her to have “mental health days” when she was in school. These mental health days, according to Hailey, were to give her mind the rest and recharging that it needed because of the stress that a person inherits when performing the role of a student. We fail to realize that our mind is not invincible. It can’t always have its rhythm in sync with that of the competitive world.
In the talk, Hailey talks about forming a committee for spreading awareness of mental health issues in schools in Oregon, US. She talks about how the process was challenging but she was able to accomplish the goal of incorporating the “mental health days” in schools, officially. This helped the students avoid the risk of a mental burn out and those who needed proper medical help were identified as well, which resulted in the schools maintaining the good mental health of all the students.
This showed that a lot of people were suffering from mental health issues but were not openly talking about them and seeking help if required. This initiative solved that problem as people felt comfortable discussing their mental health.
The Crucial Lesson
With all that has been happening in the world this year, the global pandemic, and other issues, reports show that the mental health issues are on a rise, all around the world. Considering all this, educational institutions need to realize that if they want the students to perform better and give the output that is expected of them, their mental health needs to be taken care of.
Utmost importance must be given to the mental issues.
Here’s what might work:
Health committees, similar to the one that Hailey mentioned in her TED talk can be established which could focus solely on the mental health of all the students in an institute. This will make sure that the students are not stressed out to the point where they can’t bear the pressures anymore that are bound to come their way.
When the physical and mental health of students is given prominence, this will lead them to perform better in all aspects of life, not only the education.
Concluding Remarks
While it will be complicated for educational institutions to incorporate these mental health committees or programs, they need to realize that they are essential in today’s world. A single step taken towards this cause today will result in a brighter and healthier future for the students.
Also, we, as members of the society must take care of each other’s mental health. Support, help, and be there for people whenever possible to ensure a better tomorrow for everyone. Change the notions regarding mental health for the betterment of every person.
