Taking Mental Health Days

Taking mental health days is one of the most important things your student can do during their time here at NC State. I didn’t realize how important it was until the middle of my first semester here. During that time, I thought I was handling everything really well. I had a balanced academic and social life, and felt as though I was staying on top of everything. I had set my expectations really high for myself when I got here, and eventually that pressure got to me. I hadn’t truly given myself time to decompress from my new environment and my challenging classes. I didn’t give myself the chance to truly live up to my expectations, or adjust them to become realistic and attainable.

That’s when I realized I needed a break. I needed a break from classes, from my new environment, and from the stress I was putting on myself. Mental health days don’t have to be super elaborate breaks from your student’s routine. Sometimes for me, all it took was going for a drive around the city, taking the bus and going to a local park, or going to Carmichael gymnasium and doing a cardio dance workout class. It was anything that I was doing for myself that helped relieve the pressure I was putting on myself and distract me from the chaotic routine that my life now revolved around. It doesn’t have to be a full day either. I know for me, it was a lot to take myself away from school work or my social life for a full day, but even just a few hours really benefited me and my wellbeing.

Other times, mental health days meant going to the Counseling Center on campus and getting advice or talking about what had been going on in my life. Having an unbiased listening ear to help talk through the stress or anxiety of being a student can be the best thing a student can do.

No matter what your student decides to do on their mental health days, it is important to encourage them to take these often and whenever necessary in order to help ease the stress of being a student and allow them time to decompress whatever it may be that they are dealing with.

• Rebecca