Mental Health Days Provide Much Needed Relief

Mental health days are new to GCHS and provide comfort to students.

Vedder Brown, Staff Reporter

As we start to see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, or so we think, mental health has become one of the most heavily focused topics in the world. Students and teachers in schools especially felt the negative effects of the pandemic on their mental health. From E-Learning to returning to school last winter, the effects of mental health still lingered throughout all of it. 

As a result of this increased focus on mental health, governors began to implement “Mental Health Days” across schools and workplaces. A mental health day is is a day off from school or work to really focus on personal mental health so as to prevent excessive stress. Here at GCHS, mental health is one of the top priorities of the student services department to ensure a better learning environment for all, both academically and social-emotionally. Guidance Counselor Brett Kay elaborated on the topic explaining that, “If you compare it to physical health, you’re doing all the things necessary so that your body is healthy and operating to its full potential. Matt Shenker, a counselor and therapist explained that, “Giving students mental health days makes teaching and learning more effective as students will grasp concepts sooner and retain them more deeply if they experience less chronic stress.”