With mental health struggles on the rise in teenage populations, finding support and ways of coping with stress are instrumental to students’ well-being. However, mental health is sometimes thought of as a taboo or off-limits topic. Discussion of mental health at school doesn’t meet the national share of teenagers who report feeling depressed, anxious, sad, and hopeless. National mental health figures are high across the board but differ between identity groups. According to a CDC report, teenage girls report feeling “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” at nearly double the rate of teenage boys (no data was collected for teenagers with other gender identities). Additionally, 70% of LGBTQ teens report persisting sadness compared to 35% of heterosexual teens.

Sharing stories of struggle and support reduces the stigma that has historically been attached to discussions about mental health. Everyone has a mental health story, and sharing them builds an understanding and a healthy community.

Senior Nora Shaughnessy contributed to the discussion of mental health in her senior speech, sharing her struggles relating to adoption.

Prioritizing well-being can look different for everyone. For Shaughnessy, teachers provide a huge emotional support. Academic spaces doubled as areas of safety and encouragement.

“A lot of [teachers] came to me asking me if I needed support and stuff and I think that really it just helps to know that teachers care about you and not just your academics and whether you did well on the test,” Shaughnessy said.

Faculty emotional support can help offset the competitive culture Shaughnessy feels at school, but she has also realized that sometimes she must simply take a step away.

“SPA is a very competitive environment and community, and I think many people just don’t realize that you just need to take a step back and focus on your mental health and your well-being.”

Shaughnessy believes there are mindsets, and actions associated with them, that students can change that would go a long way to lowering the stress.

“We need to look out for each other more and not be so competitive,” she said. “It makes other people feel bad about themselves and their grades.”

Although not completely happy with the student body’s ways of discussing challenges and mental health, Shaughnessy is happy to see changes in the school culture and practices.

“I really hope SPA continues putting suicide hotlines on the back of IDs and adding more to that,” she said.

Managing mental health can sometimes take the form of preventative care. Junior David Schumacher makes sure to take time to go outside and take a breath when he begins to feel stressed or overwhelmed.

“I get more stressed as things pile up with athletics or school and stuff in general,” he said.

By giving himself time to decompress, Schumacher is able to keep himself at an emotional equilibrium.

“I really like going outside. I try to go on a walk every weekend. Especially during finals, I set aside time to go on walks outside, and then getting exercise is really helpful past that.”

Exercise is a natural alleviation of stress and negative emotions. Not only does it release mood-boosting endorphins, it often provides mental “free space” that can be rare in busy schedules or times of stress.

“It’s a dedicated space to think about everything that’s going on, I usually feel calmer when I get back,” Schumacher said of his walks.

Schumacher feels as though SPA students and adults are creating a supportive atmosphere in terms of mental health. Although historically a hush-hush topic, he feels as though he can discuss it freely at school and with his friends.

“I don’t think it’s taboo to talk about mental health, so the school is doing a good job there,” he said.

If you feel as though you or a friend is experiencing symptoms of poor mental health, resources within the SPA community exist to support you.

Reach out US counselors Josie Zuniga and Heidi Lohman. Suicide and Life Crisis Hotline- 988