School, sports, lifting, club sports, parents, grades, work, social life, hard classes, people’s opinions, college, expectations, church and sleep. All of these take up much needed time in a student’s day and can put a strain on teenagers’ mental health.

Mental health, defined as “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being,” is something many people, especially teenagers, struggle with. According to polaristeen.com, approximately 1 in 5 teens have diagnosed mental health disorders. The most commonly talked about seem to be depression and anxiety. Others include, but are not limited to, ADHD, ADD, OCD and eating disorders. 

Beyond these disorders, mental health encompasses a person’s well-being. Stress from school, parents, sports and jobs are big factors of a student’s mental health.

As each school year continues on, end-of-the-year stress increases. This year is no different, but with the second year of COVID starting, stress levels only seem to get higher. Changes in policies and uncertainty about the future pile on.  According to the CDC, there has been a large increase in mental health disorders during COVID-19. Despite this alarming increase and more than a year passing since the first COVID case was reported in the US, there has been a lot of time to develop mental health awareness.

Schools should do all they can to take some of this burden off their students. Whether that means giving students a bit of extra time for assignments or having less requirements, any changes like these would be for the better. It would not only benefit the students but also the adults by allowing them more time to get their things done.

While more awareness is present, striving to have compassion and empathy is still extremely important right now. It isn’t possible to know what everyone is going through in their lives. Everyone copes with stress differently. When others fail to see this, divisions are formed, only becoming more detrimental to everyone in the situation. This is why everyone should strive to have compassion for others because, in reality, people are more similar than they think.

If you or someone you know is struggling with any of these issues, please do not hesitate to seek help. By helping each other through these difficult times, COVID will seem more bearable.