We are officially midway through the fall semester; with the Homecoming events and midterms in the rearview, many of these events have forced students to reflect.

Many freshmen and transfer students who have had to adapt to the environment at the University of New Haven claim that it has been a stressful process. Returning students at the university claim the same, and that they need a change of pace in their everyday schedules.

In a recent Instagram poll to the university community 93% of students voted in support of implementing mental health break days.

Mikayla Brown, a health sciences sophomore said that midterms and class exams have been stressful lately. “Having fall break was a nice reward to the stressful week.”

She said there should be more relaxing, mental health days on campus. “I think it’s important that we can take a break to relax and enjoy time with family and friends.”

Chelsey Abedrabbo, a psychology freshman, agreed with Brown, saying, “I am making sure I do my best to study and keep up with my work,” and that some days off from classes would be “nice to provide time to students as a way for them to destress.”

Many students feel overwhelmed, whether that is because of the assignments in classes or other obligations outside of the classroom. There are many factors that contribute to the stress students feel throughout their time at school.

Eliana Vazquez, a junior communication major is feeling good coming back to school from the extended break. “It allowed me to have a mental break from all the work going on with school.” Vazquez says that the workload instructors give is sometimes a lot to handle, “especially when they have multiple projects due around the same time.”

Although universities are not implementing scheduled mental health days for their students, it would be beneficial to have more relaxing days on campus. Though these days don’t currently exist, there are campus resources to utilize. Students can reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, which provides support for mental health issues that students may face throughout their time at the university. Health Services is another great resource available to students who are in need of support during this time.