At 7:30 a.m., my swollen eyes open as my alarm rings. I turn it off before I realize I feel like I’m sinking into my bed. The panic attack I had last night lasted until three in the morning. My body aches, my nose is stuffed and I’m just overall exhausted. But I have class at 8 a.m. ─ I don’t have time to feel better. Instead I have 30 minutes to repress my emotions and find the energy to roll out of bed. It’s mornings like these that I wish taking a day off of school to tend to my mental health was normalized among professors.
The effects of mental health may seem like they lie on the surface level. But the truth is, the way individuals handle their mental health is much more complex. Mental health alone affects “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being,” according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The way we deal with stressors, retain information and gather up the energy to make it through the day — all of this is at stake when we ignore our mental health. We don’t hesitate to let our professors know we won’t be in class due to a broken leg or the flu. So why are we hesitating to ask for a day off to tend to our emotional well-being?
Being a college student requires more than just waking up, getting out of bed, logging into Zoom and listening to a lecture. Most students have jobs or internships ─ or both. During the pandemic, some students have taken on more responsibilities at home ─ some taking on the role of primary caretaker, while others have to use their own income to help their family stay financially stable. Some students play sports or invest in other extracurricular activities. Multiple responsibilities, on top of the overwhelming feeling of isolation that has come with quarantining, can make getting out of bed seem near impossible.
Often, when individuals neglect their emotional state it allows for additional symptoms to come to light. Anxiety, depression, cynicism, exhaustion and flu-like symptoms all begin to grow stronger as our emotional health becomes weaker. Individuals need a break every now and then to perform at their best. When we take time for a break, we can “reset our perspective, rest and get a handle on our emotions,” according to Verywell Mind. When we allow time to take care of our emotions, we reap the benefits physically and mentally.
But UO’s professors have to be more open-minded for students to feel comfortable asking for a day or two off. This would allow students to clear their heads and focus on class-related tasks. Students would no longer have to worry about falling behind and could focus on themselves to succeed.
Professors can’t expect students to keep up their stamina without a break. The truth is that students feel trapped between two options: take a mental health day and risk their grades or income dropping, or push through, until a physical breakdown causes the first option anyway.