Winter Break for Mental Health

Winter break, a time to reboot and recover, is enjoyed by students all around the world. By the end of the first semester, balancing academics, sports, and extracurriculars can often get stressful and overwhelming. Therefore, having a break from school, especially a longer one in the middle of the year, has a significant positive impact on students. Winter break is beneficial for the mental health of students, giving them more family time and allowing them to partake in new activities.
Throughout the school year, high school students are often bombarded with tests, quizzes, homework, and extracurriculars. Often, students aren’t able to spend much time with their families as even weekends get packed with sports and social activities. Addy Davis ‘26 mentioned, “I don’t usually spend much time with my family during the school year because I always have sports and clubs after school, and by the time I get home, I have a lot of homework.” Spending time with family is important to the mental health of students. Students need to feel that they have people they can rely on that are always there for them. Spending more time with family creates closer bonds and emotional support which will benefit students during the rest of the school year.
Additionally, winter break prevents burnout by promoting a sense of relaxation that is essential after the grueling school year and finals. Anna Lee ‘27 explained, “I was tired and very stressed during finals because school had become the ultimate difficulty in my life and winter break gave me a chance to rest and recover. In fact, I feel much more motivated from winter break.” Winter break helped me reset and I went back to school feeling more motivated than ever.” Therefore, winter break gives students more hope for the future and prevents burnout.
Finally, winter break is a time for students to partake in new activities. During the school year, students are often focused on the same, time-consuming activities, and they don’t have space in their schedule to do the little things that they enjoy. As quoted by an SHP student, “During winter break, I went skiing, and it was very rewarding because I don’t usually go skiing.” Taylor Davis ‘28 explained, “I was able to bake and go ice skating during winter break without any pressure. It felt very rewarding and much needed.”
Winter break is often overlooked and unthought, as it has become a routine expectation for students. It’s important to take a closer look at the benefits of having a winter break to ensure students take full advantage of their time off. Namely, it improves students’ mental health, gives them an opportunity to pursue new activities, and gives students the opportunity to spend more time with family.