Society and other (older) generations began associating the word ‘stress’ with ‘college students.' It is almost as if they are bound together like the cliche “you cannot have one without the other.” With almost two years experience, I know it to be true. Trying to balance classes, homework, work, clubs/organizations, studying, social life, and family time is (and continues to be) something I struggle with. But there is more to stress than we might realize. Stress is a silent, yet deadly, killer. No one really does anything about until it's almost too late.

One way that will likely help? Take mental health days, when you need them, not when you can find the time in your busy schedule.

You might be asking, "What in the world are 'mental health days'??" Please remember that my definition is different from someone else's. To me, they are the days we take for ourselves when we are so overwhelmed and exhausted or feel as if we are running on auto-pilot, and we need a day (or two) to recharge our brains and to give our mental health a chance to play catch up.

Here's another way to look at it: say you fall and break your leg. What do you do? Common sense tells you to go to the doctor for a cast and so you do. Then your leg can heal. But what do you do when your mental health needs a little T.L.C. (tender, loving care)? Mental health can mean a variety of things: whether you feel like yourself or not, or suddenly you feel so weighed down that you feel like you can't breathe. A doctor can't wrap your head and it would be better. Sure, if it works, you can go see a therapist or counselor to help you decompress and sort yourself out.

How you spend those days are important and unique to you and your particular needs, but what's just as important is knowing when you need to take one and understanding and being okay that it usually never fits perfectly into your schedule. Sometimes we need to get away and escape and recharge. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health is. We, as a society, have a tendency to overlook or ignore our mental health and its need to be taken care of. Why? A couple of likely reasons are that we can't see it like we can see a broken leg needs a cast and we don't know how to best treat our mental health when it's broke.

So, please, take the day off if your body is telling you to stay in bed. Your mental health matters, too.