When you’re younger, you look forward to growing up and getting the high school experience. Movies and TV shows like High School Musical and The Breakfast Club portray high school as an everyday party, and the school years you will remember forever.
You wait forever, hoping for the first day of high school to come sooner, just to be immediately swamped with loads of homework and people you went to school with since you were little, suddenly becoming strangers or acting as if they don’t remember you.
When I started high school, I expected to be able to continue doing all the things outside of school that I did regularly while also keeping up with my school work. Still, I soon realized prioritizing school took much more time than just a couple of hours a week, especially with DC or pre-AP classes.
Once I was used to high school, I noticed how much my mental health declined. I would take more time to study and finish work, ensuring I passed every class instead of going out and spending time with friends or getting a good amount of sleep every night.
Many studies show that not getting enough sleep every night makes learning and retaining information more challenging. Being overly stressed can also cause issues with paying attention in class or remembering all the assignments you must complete.
Once my first break started, I spent one day finishing all my work and another day studying, and then I would spend the rest of the week hanging out with my friends and catching up.
These week-long breaks help students rest and refresh their minds before being thrown back into work-filled days. A week is more beneficial than a weekend since we have time to finish the work we were assigned and then do personal activities that we enjoy by ourselves.
Breaks away from school allow students’ brains to calm down, helping them return to school more prepared and perform better in classes. I learned slowly but surely that I needed to give myself a break sometimes and not overwork myself, but sometimes that can be difficult when you have five separate assignments due in one week for a single class.
A lot of students have shared that school lowers their mental health or even makes them spiral back into what they worked so hard to get out of. I know personally that my depressive episodes are worse during the school year than during the summer.
Having these breaks every so often gives students the time to spend with family they can’t see as frequently and do things that make them feel happier or calmer, like crafts or working out, which they usually wouldn’t have as much time as they prefer during school. Unplug from school, veg out and eat lots of holiday treats over this Christmas break – you deserve it.
