Mental health days are a step forward to ending the stigma surrounding mental health

by Avah Fetzer, Entertainment Editor

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

The home access center attendance page shows the reasons for absences, with mental health days being one of them. Screenshot taken by Avah Fetzer (10).

One in six students struggle with mental health in Hilliard, so mental health days became known as an excused absence in September 2020. Bradley student and hope squad member Jessica Cline (10) says, “all this stress adds up when we do straight work for 9 hours, 2+ hours for after school activities, chores, and work to do at home”. The expectations are that you take a mental health day when your mental health becomes too overwhelming for you to be able to get work done regularly. This allows you to go about your day without feeling like you have to pretend like your struggles are nonexistent.

Mental health days become more than just taking a day or two off. When a student takes a mental health day, the school knows the student is struggling and can connect them to a guidance counselor to talk about it. Mr. Abraham, the Hilliard City school district director of student well-being, says this method shows that “it’s okay not to be okay”.

When a student takes a mental health day, the parent is given resources to talk to them and have those sometimes difficult conversations. Mr. Abraham says mental health days, “are about getting the help you need”. The idea is that even though a student might not be doing schoolwork, they are at home and still trying to work on their mental health.

Having conversations about mental health is vital. Mr. Abraham explained that even if a student feels they cannot take a mental health day, they still need to have conversations with the people around them. He wants the message to come across that “there’s nothing wrong with having someone to talk to”.

Mental health days also encourage students to become mindful of their own thoughts and feelings. This is especially important this year, when there are so many things that are different from other years. Mrs. Fatzinger, Bradley psychologist, says, “I think it is important for students to monitor their own mental health and wellbeing and to be able to recognize when they may need a break or may need to reach out to others for support.” Fatzinger then continues to discuss the self-reflection process that comes after taking a mental health day and the significance behind it. “More important than taking a day off from school is the reflection process that goes into making a decision that is right for the individual.”

Mental health days are not just taking a day off to lay in bed and not have to think about anything. Mental health days are a reflection day, which is vital for putting the message across the board that “it’s okay not to be okay”. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and your mental health gets to be too much for you to handle at school, take a mental health day and help to break the stigma surrounding mental health by showing everyone it’s okay not to be okay!