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THE WOOSTER BLADE | NOV. 19, 2021 | PAGE 6
Holidays bring on mental health issues LUKE POMFRET co-editor-in-chief
WHS students give thanks to WHS staff MAYA GALINDO-BENSON staff writer The season of giving thanks is upon us, and WHS students are expressing thanks to the faculty and staff for all of their effort and assistance. There are certain qualities that students value in staff. Nathan Eberhart (12) says he values a teacher’s ability to adjust to meet a student’s needs as he emphasizes: “I think a teacher’s ability to adapt to what their specific class needs and what the individual students needs,” Eberhart said is what he values. Another student, Jake Rickett (9), said he also values the time a teacher puts into understanding the students: “How they [teachers] work with kids and, like, how they [teachers] take time to help them [students],” Rickett said. Rickett believes the way teachers work with students is the most important quality in a teacher. There are specific teachers and staff that Eberhart and Rickett respect in WHS, including Nathan Greene, who teaches Computer Science; and Matthew Knight from the Science Dept. “I would specifically give thanks to Mr. Greene; he’s been very helpful throughout the year in coding, and he
is just generally a nice guy,” Eberhart said. Rickett is grateful for Knight, who he says is always very helpful to his students. “Mr. Knight is a nice teacher,” Rickett said. It is not only students at WHS who appreciate the staff; the staff also value each other. In a person, Greene values the qualities of hard work, honesty and determination. He said he respects Kristin Broda, who teaches Dramatic Arts, for her ability to approach students in an effective manner. “I am thankful for Mrs. [Kristin] Broda, she and I are always able to bounce ideas off of each other and help each other think of creative ways to reach students, and can turn a day around if it is not going so well.” Greene said. Knight values friendliness in people, and said that kindness is the best value a person can have. “...The number one quality is to just try to be nice to people, it’s going to make the world a better place and make a better learning environment,” Knight said. The people in WHS that Knight is grateful for are the entire Science Dept., all the teachers he has worked with, as well as Stan Burris, a retired Intervention Specialist teacher who Knight worked with for many years.
The holidays offer the chance to see loved ones and reflect on the past. Although everyone has a different meaning of the holidays, the psychological explanation for how and why people feel the way they do is complex. Dr. Elaine Rodino, a psychologist in private practice in State College, Pa., joined podcast host Kim Mills on the podcast, Speaking of Psychology to discuss the stress and joy of the holiday season. Mills asked Rodino, for the individuals who feel nervous looking forward to November and December, what advice would you give them to cope with their feelings. Rodino said, “Well, one thing is realizing that it’s time-limited. Another is doing self-care things, making sure you keep up with the usual self-care things you do, whether it’s exercising, taking a warm bath, just taking a break, and reading a book. There needs to be just some time that you just check out from the holiday stress part.” Rodino also states that good and bad memories can set the intention for a person’s outlook on the holiday season. “Some people have early childhood memories of everything being so perfect. They had families, maybe their father decorated the house, and it was the best, most lit up house in the whole neighborhood... These then get taken on as traditions, and people feel they need to do that kind of special, over the top holiday. That can bring a lot of stress. It’s the expectations of what they feel,
either negative or positive... There could also be some pretty hostile family arguments, and people storming out... For children, it could be pretty memorable in negative ways. So people may feel uncomfortable with holidays without even particularly remembering why, but they just are uncomfortable with it.” Linda Walter, a practicing clinician for over 25 years in New York, wrote a column for Psychology Today titled, “The Holidays are Over; Why am I so Blue?” Walter explains the multifaceted aspects of the holidays by stating:“We tend to have our schedules filled with social events during the month of December, only to have virtually nothing on the calendar in the month of January. So, we go
members and disappointed with the way they behaved towards us and/or treated us. This can lead to sadness and its own kind of mourning. Other times, we might experience tremendous joy at being with family members and then miss them terribly when they have gone home.” Michael Sullivan, Social Studies Dept. member and AP Psychology teacher, describes theories that factor into the feelings surrounding the holidays. “Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is the body’s lack of sunlight that is being received, can also be a factor into someone’s feelings surrounding the holidays… The holidays also offer a chance of boosts for serotonin, but then a letdown usually occurs in early January.” Sullivan describes Sigmund Freud’s idea of the unconscious mind and how the mind is defined as a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories outside of our conscious awareness. An example of Freud’s idea could include a traumatic event. So, what does one do to cope with depression during the holidays? Sullivan suggests visiting a psychologist or counselor to discuss Graphic by Grace Brownson feelings. “To understand the reasons why you feel a from being social butterflies to certain way in the present, being homebodies... A change you have to talk through your in your social calendar with a experiences that occurred in the sudden lack of social events past with a professional, and to go to can lead to loneliness, hopefully, resolutions can be boredom and a feeling of made,” Sullivan said. isolation... We often spend time If you or someone you know with family during the holidays. needs help finding mental or And spending time with family physical health resources, visit can leave us with mixed feelings. the Resources and Perks tab on Sometimes we feel let down the Wooster City School District by our interactions with family website.
