When I started the Mental Health Committee in School Within A School, I had no idea that by the third week over 35 people would have attended. People were there for all kinds of reasons, from wanting to talk about struggles they’ve had with mental health to wanting to learn how to talk about mental health.

Each meeting, on Tuesdays during second lunch, typically starts off with people gathering in room 406 with their lunches. From there, we go around and talk about our week and if anything is on our mind. We’ve talked about everything from intense coaches to lack of motivation during midyears to relationship issues. We also talk about personal experiences involving mental health stigma.

The short-term goal of the Mental Health Committee is to provide a safe space for people to talk about what’s going on in their lives and to have a group of students who will listen to and support them. The larger goal is to start a dialogue about mental health in our school, hopefully one that expands beyond SWS.

While attendance isn’t as strong as it was during the first couple of weeks, our weekly lunch meetings have left me with a clear conclusion. We need more resources to discuss mental health at the high school and in a way that is a student-run dialogue. We have a strong support network at our school of counselors and social workers. But we’re lacking places where students can discuss mental health openly without the stigma that is attached to it.

Mental health is hard to talk about. It is so personal that people often aren’t sure where or how to begin. However, we have many incredible students at this school who want to start a dialogue about wellness and mental health. I think it’s time that there be a stronger emphasis on more student involved mental health resources.

As wonderful as the high school is, it’s a pressure cooker environment. I’ve seen it affect almost everyone I know. From academics to sports to drama and everything in between, a lot is expected of the typical high school student. With this comes a toll. Late nights, piles of work and long school days do not leave enough time to emphasize wellness.

It’s important to prioritize yourself over your work when you need to. The benefits of a couple of extra hours of sleep, or shutting down your laptop to listen to some music or taking a walk are incredibly important. Yet these get brushed underneath the carpet of school and work.

What can be even more damaging is while attempting to talk to friends, parents and teachers about mental health, walls can seem to arise and stop the conversation. People are uncomfortable talking about mental health because we’re not taught how to. We’re taught to be embarrassed about having a hard time and that immense amounts of stress are normal during high school. This stigma is damaging because it prevents people from reaching out to get the help they need.

High school is a time of hard work and busy lives. But this isn’t an excuse to devalue people’s hardships and the toll they can take on students. The Mental Health Committee is only one small step toward starting conversations about wellness and mental health at our school. More student run discussions would be greatly beneficial to the high school.

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