Pause, Take A Break & Prioritize Your Mental Health
Most of my school year is spent drowning in a pool of stress.
Between homework, endless late-night practices, and countless sleepless evenings spent bent over a history textbook, school never seems to give me any sort of break. But there was always one light at the end of the tunnel: Summer vacation.
Each May, I feverishly counted the days until I could stop dragging my backpack around with me like a dog on a leash, envisioning long summer days spent hanging out with my friends and lounging on the beach. In these fantasies, I am completely devoid of stress, with my only concerns being whether I’m getting a good tan or what song to play next. However, these care-free expectations rarely manifested into reality. Visions of tanning on the beach turned into long days spent in my bedroom or basement, binge-watching TV. When my summer activities finally started, I found that between summer school, work, volunteering and various rehearsals and practices, summer vacation wasn’t as carefree as I had imagined.
It was almost impossible to avoid feeling guilty and like I was wasting days, especially when doom-scrolling through social media shows my peers apparently spending every day out with friends while I was spending time alone at home. It turns out I was not alone in this. A study by Cybersmile found that 96% of teens have felt emotionally impacted when comparing themselves to others online, with 36% even reporting feelings of jealousy. This pressure to constantly engage in social activities, combined with social media bombardment, left me feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, even during a time that should have been relaxing and stress-free. All of this makes it difficult to keep a positive mindset and maintain good mental health.
Then the new school year starts, and the cycle begins again. School stress isn’t about the endless homework or tests – it’s the pressure to be perfect all the time. Every day feels like a race to keep up with everything: trying to get good grades, staying on top of assignments, honoring extracurricular commitments, and balancing family and social relationships. There’s always something lingering in the back of my mind about what I need to get done.
One of the things I’ve realized and am learning to accept, is that I will always have some amount of anxiety about life. Life is not meant to be devoid of stress; The World Health Organization reports that a little bit of stress is good and helps us perform daily activities. So, as the school year begins it’s important to find ways to manage stress, so it doesn’t become overwhelming. This is especially important to recognize during September, which is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States among young people ages 12 to 18. Finding health coping strategies, talking about what you’re going through, and knowing when to reach out for help is critical.
I have found that engaging in self-care activities is essential for my own mental well-being. Taking a break from my phone is key, since it encourages me to do other things more productive with my time than worrying and stressing. Another one of my favorite things to do when I begin to feel super overwhelmed is go for walks around my neighborhood. Whether it’s a ten-minute walk or an hour long, I’ve found that it really helps clear my mind and allows me to de-stress. Finally, I have found that reading a book or taking out some colored pencils allows me to focus on something soothing with minimal effort.
No matter what time of year it is or what you have going on in your life, it’s always important to pause, take a break, and prioritize your mental health. Now that school has started, I have a little homework for you: identify at least three self-care activities that will help nurture your mental well-being. Remember, taking care of yourself is the foundation for creating balance in your life—whether it’s school, extracurriculars, or personal relationships. By making your mental well-being a priority, you’re setting yourself up for success and creating a healthier, more balanced path forward.