SAN RAMON, CA — School can be stressful, and sometimes, a day to decompress can go a long way. A group of San Ramon students have started a project to help schools organize wellness days, days dedicated to promoting student wellbeing through activities like arts, music, stretching, meditation, mental health education, skill building, sports, interactive workshops, and more.“We decided to focus on mental health in schools because we noticed that in our community there is a strong belief that success only comes through acade...
SAN RAMON, CA — School can be stressful, and sometimes, a day to decompress can go a long way. A group of San Ramon students have started a project to help schools organize wellness days, days dedicated to promoting student wellbeing through activities like arts, music, stretching, meditation, mental health education, skill building, sports, interactive workshops, and more.
“We decided to focus on mental health in schools because we noticed that in our community there is a strong belief that success only comes through academic achievement,” said Mridhula Senthil Kumar, a student at Dougherty Valley High School who started the Teen Mental Health & Wellness Hub with her friends Joshika Mathew and Tara Menon as part of her Girl Scout Silver Award Project.
“While education is important, we also saw the toll this mindset was taking on students at a young age. When we learned that our local middle school didn’t have a wellness day like others did, we realized there was a clear need to bring more attention to student well-being. That’s why we chose to make our project about implementing wellness days—to give students space to focus on their mental health and to show that success also comes from balance and self-care.”
According to a survey the group conducted, 60% of SRVUSD students report feeling overwhelmed by school stress, and 40% of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. 90% of students surveyed said they believed that a wellness day would help them and their peers to de-stress.
The group first heard about the concept of wellness days from Tara Menon, who participated in one in middle school and said that it was relaxing and rejuvenating. After that, Kumar and Mathew were inspired to organize a Wellness Day at Gale Ranch Middle School. They recently organized another one Thursday.
Following the success of the Gale Ranch wellness day, the group was inspired to help schools facilitate wellness days and other tools to help students. The Mental Wellness Hub website provides a list of recommended activities, mock schedules, and detailed tips for how to implement them successfully.
It also provides an extensive list of mental health resources, including apps, websites, hotlines, educational mental health resources, and links for finding professional therapists and support groups.
Kumar also noted that wellness days do not have to be expensive, since many of the materials necessary are already on-hand.
Visit the Teen Mental Wellness Hub for more information.