As we approach the last two weeks of school before spring break, many students find themselves struggling to keep up with schoolwork and staying motivated to complete assignments. A temporary solution to these feelings can be taking a mental health day. Taking a day off from school to catch up on work and de-stress can be extremely beneficial for students.

“I think mental health days can be truly beneficial to people who need a break from the pressures of school every day, they really allow me for a day to relax and take a step back from my work,” junior Claire Eikenberry said.

Giving students the opportunity to determine when they need a break can also help create healthy habits they will carry into the future. Being able to identify that you are struggling and admit that you may need a brief break is a healthy mechanism to avoid becoming too overwhelmed.

Practicing balance is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle that goes hand-in-hand with healthily managing stress. While it is normal to feel a certain amount of stress in school, knowing when you are overwhelmed and need to take a break is part of learning how to better balance your life.

Some may worry that taking a day off school could create more stress because it requires students to catch up on the work you missed that day. However, the benefits of rest may outweigh the assignments you would need to make up.

“As long as the school work you miss is made up, which is actually way easier than I think people expect, it actually really helps me in school,” Eikenberry said.

The amount of time between winter break and spring break is by far the longest of the year, and one of the most uneventful for students. Using spring break is also important in setting yourself up for success in the final nine weeks of the school year. Taking time to do things you enjoy and prepare for the coming term can help minimize stress in the new quarter.

“This part of the year is always the worst. It’s the longest without a break and there’s not really anything to do so I feel like taking breaks is even more important right now,” Eikenberry said.

Adding built-in mental health days in student schedules has become an increasingly sought after addition to NC in recent years.

“I think the school should allow for a certain number of mental health days every year to benefit the well-being of their students since it could really help a lot of people,” Eikenberry said.