<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often hear the words mental health and its\u2019 importance, but what really is mental health? Mental health is the psychological, social, and emotional well being of one’s self. This has a really big role in schools, and students day to day life. Not only does an unhealthy mental health play a big role hindering one’s education, but the education system often inhibits students from being able to be in a good mental health. It’s important to look at our school specifically because there is often a stigma placed upon our \u201ccompetitive mindset\u201d that hasn\u2019t left students at their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
73.1% of a survey taken from 82 students at Dougherty report that the \u201ccompetition\u201d at Dougherty has a significant effect on their mental health. When asked where they feel the competition comes from; they answered their peers. We are their peers, we are the students that pressure and maliciously tactazize against one another for a higher and better grade. The ones that peer over your best friends shoulder to make sure you got a slightly higher grade. We are the kids who walk through the halls seeming as though we have it all put together. Yet we are also the same students that don\u2019t. We are the student\u2019s who constantly feel as though we are one step behind, always carrying a grade lower, never measuring up to the \u201cDougherty standard.\u201d We complain about the competition yet we are the competition. We complain about the pressure yet we are the ones pressuring. A quote I believe sums it all up comes from an anonymous student survey; \u201cEveryone feels that in order to be validated at DV he or she needs to have the best grades, SAT scores, and extracurriculars. But parents don\u2019t push that. Students push it.\u201d This quote proves that the pressure and unhealthy stress students face at DVHS is mainly caused by us which gives us the ability to directly change this \u201cstigma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But why change it? Competition is good, healthy, and incentivizes students to work harder. Yes, but not when compromising our mental health. 85 % of students surveyed significant self associate their grades with their self-value. I implore you to ask yourselves is this normal? Just because we do not fit into an unachievable box shape are we any less? One student\u2019s response shed the unfortunate truth of our school; \u201cAs you walk through the halls you can see students talking about their grades and tests. Barely, if ever, do I hear a conversation about things normal things teens should be talking about. Everything is about school. Kids cry if they fail tests, and you can see the sleep deprivation and stress in every kid’s eyes at this school.\u201d Is this the competition we claim is healthy? Is this the incentive that we want to encourage? This alone is proof enough that change is needed, but let me take it one step further. We do all of this for our \u201cfuture.\u201d What if the very thing that we put ourselves at risk cannot be achieved, because we have blocked our path. Heidi Thompson\u2019s master\u2019s theses bring us some statistics; \u201cIf the child\u2019s ability to establish positive interpersonal relationships is compromised, or they feel as though they are not apart of the school, it has been found that there are social adjustment difficulties. Such difficulties include juvenile delinquency, school dropout, and poor mental health.\u201d We are working for something that brings us consequences. How can we allow ourselves to continue with such behavior when there are possible long time risks because of the environment we contribute to and continue to allow ourselves to be in. As I looked through my survey results I saw somewhat an understanding of how wrong and toxic this environment is but I didn\u2019t find anything calling for or incentivizing change and action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let me be the person to incentivize change, and explore the possibilities of growth. You don\u2019t gain anything by comparing yourselves, you simply loose joy. Maybe there are other contributing factors, and it\u2019s not possible to change your environment in a day, but you can change your relationship with your environment. You don\u2019t have to miserable just because \u201cthe standard\u201d says you do, and you can be proud of your work no matter the grade. And when kids say, \u201cI stayed up the entire night studying,\u201d 70% of the time they really mean, \u201cI started at like midnight and then listened to music, took breaks, and maybe spent like 2 hours studying.\u201d Take everything with a grain of salt, because you might think that your a mess but other people you put together. It\u2019s important to measure yourself by how you did in the past and not by how everyone else is doing. Focus on improvement within. Sure, you can think \u201cin the real world, you will get compared to everyone else\u201d but this thinking really doesn\u2019t lead to anything. You can\u2019t really control how other people do\u2014only how you do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You complain about the pressure yet you are the ones pressuring. You complain about the competition yet you are the ones competing. If you want the Dougherty environment to change, change your relationship with the environment. We are students, yes, but we are not just students. We are human beings capable of change and capable of making the change. The root of the problem begins with us, so to solve this problem we must begin with ourselves. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We often hear the words mental health and its\u2019 importance, but what really is mental health? Mental health is the psychological, social, and emotional well being of one’s self. This has a really big role in schools, and students day to day life. Not only does an unhealthy mental health play a big role hindering … <\/p>\n