The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone, and with the holidays coming up many people are experiencing mental health difficulties. Although breaks are supposed to have a positive effect on mental health, this is not the case this year as students and their families are adjusting to celebrating holidays during a global pandemic.

Students aren’t feeling like they are able to enjoy their breaks. Students are facing an overwhelming amount of stress that school has brought upon them with their workload in the classes they are taking. During Thanksgiving Break, for example, a majority of students were busy with assignments during break instead of being able to relax. Having assignments due during break has become more common since most classes are virtual rather than in-person. 

Michael Anderson, a freshman at Sonoma State, explains how he found school chewing up most of his time during Thanksgiving Break. When relaying what he had to face during his so-called break, Anderson explains how “…many of my teachers still had assignments due that week (Thanksgiving Break), and a couple even had exams scheduled right when got back from our break.” Anderson makes further comments about his struggles stating: “With the pressure of exams right after break, I felt like I spent most of my time studying, instead of being able to hang out with my family…,” which is not a way to spend a holiday break.

Most classes that are currently are still being offered only in a virtual setting. There are very few classes that have been brought back completely in-person. The virtual style of learning has brought on more assignments and work for students to complete, leading to assignments being given out during holiday breaks like Spring Break and Thanksgiving Break.

Across the U.S. this year, school districts across the high/middle school setting have extended students Thanksgiving Break. This comes after many teachers and school board members saw the common themes of students experiencing signs of stress. In regards to such events, Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Nikolai P. Vitti, decided to extend Thanksgiving Break for students. Vitti reasoned with the following statement: “ …reflecting on the concerns of school-based leaders, teachers, support staff, students, and families regarding the need for mental health relief, rising COVID cases, and time to more thoroughly clean schools.”

Seeing this happen is great and all for the younger students, it gives them the chance to unwind, but how about the college students? At least within Sonoma State University, the board should’ve thrown students a bone and extended the Thanksgiving Break this year, even if it was for a few days. A student’s mental health is far more important than getting assignments done. Schools at the college level should make it a priority in looking out for students’ mental health, especially in this day in age learning within a pandemic. There should not only be an extension to holiday breaks to make students ease up from their workload, but there should be more holidays regarding student wellness, giving students added time off of school to relieve stress.

As the new semester rolls around the corner, so does the return of in-person instruction within Sonoma State, and many other schools. This could be the beginning of the improvement for students’ mental health as they would finally be able to have a less workload then semesters past.  Though with the option of in-person classes more widely available, would this mean students would be able to relax a little more during this upcoming Winter Break?

“I don’t know if I will be able to completely relax during this Winter Break…”  was a remark made by Jason Altamirano, a senior at SSU. Being a major within Business Administration, Altamirano explained how he had to do a lot of preparation both for school and mentally due to a majority of his classes being online these past few semesters. When asked how he plans on thinking about the Spring semester for next year, Altamirano states that “During winter break, I hope I will be able to work on my mental state a little bit so that next semester isn’t as hard as this past semester has been.” 

The last few semesters have definitely taken a toll on students like Anderson and Altamirano. With the holidays just right around the corner many wish for a break, but aren’t sure if that is a realistic expectation. Many have seen a decline in their mental states as holidays come around, not to mention students not feeling as if a holiday break is necessarily ‘a break’ from school compared to the past few semesters. 

Hopefully this Winter Break, students will get the break they deserve and need. However, many students have faced many difficulties these last semesters, so not everyone is going to be able to catch the break they need. It’s important for students to take this incoming Winter Break to unwind, and take a deep breath, as another tough semester has concluded.