by Stevi Valenzuela
During the first quarter of school students started to become overwhelmed with school; this was bound to happen with distance learning and online assignments. The new intern counselor Yalda Kakar put together a mental health website to give students an outlet they didn't have before. The website includes a survey you can submit to the counselors to ask for help, a list of school counselors' names, phone numbers, and emails as well as several hotline numbers students can call for outside help. It also has an entire page speaking of different mental health problems and the symptoms of them. Talking to students about their mental health is hard on both ends, but this resource is helpful to get students back on their feet and back into the rhythm of school.
To see how students were faring during distance learning, I spoke to several students and they said that they’ve felt stressed, upset, frustrated, and confused. This school year has been extremely hard and the workload has been super intense in some classes. When asked to compare this year to last year students said they feel like they got more help last year, and that this year has been harder on them and their grades.
Along with the website designed by intern counselor Yalda Kakar, there are a few things you can do to help yourself during this challenging time. To get out of a stressed or overwhelming situation and mindset, you can try doing some healthy things for yourself and things you enjoy. Take a break from the laptop screen and pick up a book, or a pencil and paper, and do all your heart desires. Go out and walk outside or play some video games. Reach out to a friend, parent, teacher, or counselor to talk.
While there is no simple solution to this challenging time, there are so many things you can do to make yourself feel better. If you're having a hard time, just remember there are resources out there for you, and they can help a lot.
Be sure to check out the Minarets Mental Health Website: https://mentalhealthknowledge.weebly.com/
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