When I come home from school, I crash.

School is draining physically, mentally and emotionally. Memorizing math formulas, working on group projects and writing notes takes a toll on a person when you are expected to focus and learn for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week.

But I suck it up. Open my notebooks and finish my homework. Go to bed. And do it all again.

However, my feelings aren’t rare. Seventy-five percent of high school teens are “often or always” stressed out by schoolwork, according to a 2020 survey by research.com.

So how can schools alleviate this issue? 

With nearly three quarters of teens feeling high school is causing them stress, there needs to be more initiatives to deal with this problem.

Recently, the state of Illinois announced that elementary, middle and high school students can take up to five excused mental health days a year. Students are not required to provide a doctor’s note in order to utilize these days.  

A significant motive in passing the bill was the inequity of pre and post-COVID student expectations. Before COVID-19, students were expected to finish homework, sit still in class and participate in discussions. These activities were already hard for students, but the added stress of COVID exacerbates overwhelming feelings.

One in three teenage girls and one in five teenage boys report increased anxiety since the beginning of the pandemic. Increased anxiety leads to more suicides and cases of depression, according to a study by Josh Nepon.

Missouri needs to implement mental health days as well. For that matter, I think every state should. Even two excused mental health days would be beneficial. An increased emphasis on the importance of taking time to recuperate should be the norm at schools.

Parents and administrators may say mental health days are pointless and students will not utilize the time in a way that is beneficial. To make sure this does not happen and to hold students accountable, mental health days should be sanctioned by the school. 

Students who want to take part in these days must agree to be technology-free and log time outside or participating in a hobby that helps them relieve stress. This log should also be accessible by the school, who can monitor whether or not students are using mental health days effectively. If students do not agree to use this time in a way that is productive to their mental health, then the school must discipline them.

More education on the topic of mental health is also necessary. Even though there have been more movements to destigmatize the subject, mental health is still a topic that is considered taboo or “weird” to talk about. 

In order to have healthy, focused teens, schools need to enable them to have the time and resources to deal with their mental health. Schools must understand it is not selfish to take time to care for yourself, but beneficial in more ways than one can count.