For students, there may be times when you wake up and feel the need to stay home and take care of yourself. The new era of self-care is promoted through cute face masks, bath bombs, and a wine night with the girls. However, the conversation around self-care lacks when it comes to an open dialogue between students and professors.

School can be stressful and hard to balance and there is a lack of understanding or communication about mental health for students. Students should be able to take a mental health or self-care day when needed. Professors should have policies that allow students to take a mental health day when needed and encourage open communication and understanding about the topic with students.

There is a stigma surrounding mental health and that talking about it is taboo. What some fail to realize is that every person has to take care of both their mental health and physical health. Going to the gym, eating healthy, and drinking an adequate amount of water are necessary to keep good physical health. Likewise, resting one’s mind and body, taking the appropriate steps to cope with emotions, and taking a break from stress-related activities are important for mental health.

Yet, it is easier for a student to turn in a doctor’s note stating they are sick or injured and need to miss class than an email from a student or counselor stating a student just needs one day off to mentally recoup. Physical health and mental health should be treated on the same basis as both are important and can affect class attendance and performance.

“From a student perspective, I can see it’s really scary to ask a professor if they can have more time to handle something because of a mental health issue, especially with a new professor they don’t know,” said Charles Sprock, an instructor at Syracuse University’s University College and an active attorney. “For a professor it can be scary too, as university employees we can only go so far to inquiring.”

If professors are more vocal about understanding mental health and allow students to take a day off for self-care, then students will be better equipped to perform well academically. Some professors have very strict attendance policies that prohibit students from even missing class due to physical illness, barring a note from Health Services. Due to the social taboo of talking about mental health, some students fear emailing teachers to ask for a mental health day or for other mental health reasons.

For example, strict attendance and assignment submission policies fail to acknowledge the many students who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Syracuse is often without consistent sun for days or weeks, causing students to become unmotivated. They also fail to acknowledge people who cannot get out of bed in the morning due to stress, anxiety, or depression. It is already hard for students to admit they may need help to themselves, so asking a professor for help can be petrifying.

Emily Thorson, an assistant professor of political science at SU, said mental health is just as valid as an excuse as physical health when it comes to missing class or needing help with assignments.

“If students think something is wrong physically, mentally — believe them, and if it becomes a problem, then talk with them. They’re people, have a conversation,” she said.

Mental health is not discussed enough in educational institutions because the conversation can be uncomfortable. However, by normalizing the conversation that everyone has mental health they need to take care of, students will be able to be better understood by professors. Additionally, by allowing students to take mental health days, professors can ensure that their students are performing to the best of their abilities academically.

Published on March 8, 2020 at 10:06 pm