Students Are Reminded To Prioritize Their Mental Health
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As we approach the end of the fall semester with only a little over a month to go, now is the most important time to ensure you are feeling well, doing well, and are overall in a positive and healthy mental state.
With the semester speeding by rapidly and classes becoming a bigger workload, now is when you want to make sure you are on top of your game and doing what you need to do.
Many students are preparing for big term assignments, long papers and any other exams they might have before the long awaited, but also long dreaded finals week in December.
First-year student Owen Gelber has a busy day to day schedule as a Penn State student; he added his comments on how he stays positive during this time.
“It's definitely a big adjustment living away from home and making new friends. It's a completely unfamiliar type of environment for me, but it’s definitely been fun. I’ve really enjoyed it. I just wish the University would maybe provide just a little more assistance to first-year students with balancing clubs and schoolwork,” Gelber said.
The university used to give out a few ‘Wellness Days’ a couple years back while COVID-19 was impacting classrooms. Now that it is not as apparent of an issue in this learning environment, Penn State has done away with them.
“To be honest, I’m severely mentally ill at the moment. I just literally cannot focus on work at this point,” third-year journalism student Olivia Estright said. “A wellness day would be so iconic just because I would finally have time to catch up on that work. I wouldn't use the wellness day to necessarily make myself more ‘well’, as the university would say. I would use it to catch up and that's one thing I think so many students are struggling with right now.”
With the semester entering the homestretch, students need to ensure they are doing everything they can to stay positive, and finish out this fall semester as strong as possible.
Grades are important, but so is mental health. If you are struggling or not doing well, speak to someone that you are close with or that can trust. Mental health is a top priority and one of the most important things when being at a school of this size and living on your own.
Brendan Conroy is a third-year studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at brc5392@psu.edu.
