Both students and staff at Carlsbad High School value the importance of raising awareness about mental health. According to Newport Academy, teens specifically are more vulnerable to poor mental health because they have to manage school, sports, work and personal life. To combat this, there are adults and other resources on campus to help students at CHS navigate difficult obstacles in life.
Freshman Sawyer Sanders, a wide receiver on the freshman football team, has seen firsthand how mental health can affect high school athletes. He explains that managing football and school can be a challenge and that the stigma surrounding mental health can make it difficult to talk about.
“Mental health is super important, because I know lots of people that really struggle mentally,” Sanders said. “I feel like lots of those feelings can be prevented if we bring light on mental health to make them feel safe enough to talk about it.”
The prejudice around mental health can lead to students normalizing or ignoring their feelings. Teens may end up feeling like their emotions are not an issue, and Counselor Susan Penrod believes that they may end up disregarding them for this reason.
“Sometimes students have normalized the behavior or the way they are feeling so they don’t see a problem with it,” Penrod said.
Resources like clubs can be an easily accessible way to spread mental health awareness. One example of this is Morgan’s Message Club, a club for student-athletes that is dedicated to improving their mental health and uses CHSTV to reach students on campus. Sophomore and JV football team member JJ Woods believes CHSTV is an easy way to reach all students.
“A good way to put the topic of mental health out there is CHSTV since it is something we all see every morning that no one can miss,” Woods said.
Sanders adds that having clubs on mental health could be very beneficial for students and could make them feel more confident when discussing mental health. Sanders believes that decreasing the stigma around mental illness will help students feel better about any issues they might be struggling with.
“I think we should have more clubs that shine light on mental health awareness,” Sanders said. “They can hold activities at lunch to help more students learn about the club, which can really help make students feel more comfortable seeking help.”
Studies show that the mental health of athletes is incredibly important due to the pressure they can be put under. A bad mental state as an athlete can lead to negative repercussions and can affect their performance abilities. For an athlete to reach their peak capabilities, they need to be in a healthy mindset.
“As a football player, we spend most of our time on the field and with teammates and coaches, which can really deteriorate your mental health,” Sanders said. “If our coaches talk about mental health, which is something we really need to talk about, then it can help us and make us feel more comfortable going to talk to someone.”
Penrod believes that teens should be there for their friends in a time of need, but there is only so much peers can do for others without being burnt out. As a school counselor, Penrod feels that students should know they have other resources available to them in addition to their peers.
“It is always great to be compassionate, but at the same time you have to know your limit of how much you can really do to help others without harming yourself,” Penrod said.
Students and staff at CHS believe mental health deserves greater attention. There are many reasons teens avoid reaching out for help, something that can worsen existing mental health issues. By creating an open judge-free environment, Woods believes that students can foster a safe and comfortable campus.
“Between sports, personal life and school it puts so much stress on us having to find a balance between all that, and can really hurt your mental health,” Woods said.
