A crucial aspect of a student’s life is their mental wellness. It affects their performance in school and their future life. Students are more likely to experience mental health issues due to academic stress, social pressures at school, family issues, etc.
Main Issues That Impact Students’ Mental Health
The main issues impacting students’ mental health include the following:
Stress-related to studies or problems at home
- Bullying from fellow students
- Strained relationships with parents, classmates, and teachers
- Family problems
- School issues
- Consumption of drugs and alcohol use (including prescription drugs)
How Students Can Improve Their Mental Health
There are several things the school and the students can practice to maintain mental health. Some of these include:
Stay Active
A great way to boost your mood is to get up and do something. Take a walk around campus, or run on the treadmill at the student gym. If you don’t have access to either of these, simply stretching exercises before bed can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
Eat Healthily
Eating a balanced diet helps you stay energized, which in turn helps keep your mind clear and focused. Try incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet and lean proteins. You should also limit processed foods.
Get Enough Sleep
It’s tempting to stay up late studying for an exam or writing a paper so that you finish by the following day. However, as much as you want to excel, sleep is essential for your mental health.
Here’s How the School Administration Can Help Students
Create Mental Health Awareness
Many students go through mental health problems, such as; anxiety, eating disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, and Attention Deficit Disorder. If caught early, they can receive the help they need from a professional before it progresses.
Schools need to create awareness around mental health. Considering this is where they spend most of their time, it will play a significant role in their growth—educating everyone in the institution on what breaks the stigma around it. It encourages those suffering from it to seek help and be open about it.
One of the ways the administration can help their students is by setting up a guidance and counseling department. They should encourage them to use this resource for their well-being. An open-door policy could help those who are shy to see a counselor but feel safe with their teachers.
Equip the Teachers
The school can organize training for teachers on handling mental health, such as picking up symptoms. They are the ones who interact with the students directly. It would be easy for them to note a change or difficulty that one of them is developing.
For some standard conditions (depression, anxiety), this is relatively straightforward; for others (schizophrenia), it can be much more complex and require a professional.
Another way that teachers can help is by assisting directly: helping students learn coping strategies or accessing resources outside the classroom environment (like support groups).
Finally, teachers should be able to recognize when students require assistance. It may be when they are feeling overwhelmed or distressed so that they can assist their student(s) appropriately.
