Being Outside Helps Your Health

Our mental and physical health is affected by many things, like genetics, physical influences, and diet. However, not getting enough breaks outside during the school day can impact our overall health as well. When you’re sitting at a desk for a long time, your brain needs a break and I think one of the best ways to have a break is by going outside and getting fresh air. Not only does it give your mind a break, but it also allows you to connect with your peers.As you grow older, you need more time to energize and concentrate on your work, and when you're developing, you have more pressure on yourself and more insecurities.

I wanted opinions from three other students, so I interviewed Cannon Draper, Leah Dolan, and Eden Farthing. Cannon said that she feels relieved, tired, and just wants to sit and relax when she gets home. More work and less time outside might make her feel this way. When Cannon gets home, she just wants to throw her backpack on the floor and sleep. She likes to wind down and is usually stressed. When we do have breaks during the day, Cannon feels so much better. She said “it's fun to hang out with friends”, and thinks that having more breaks is very important. You can relax and just reconnect. Longer breaks benefit your emotions. She thought that being outside for longer creates more time not to stress. Next, I interviewed Leah Dolan. When Leah gets home, she’s tired as well, and wants to lay in bed. During breaks, Leah is thrilled but she does think it goes by quickly. Leah thinks that we should have more breaks. Her thought was that having that time outside in between classes makes her happier and makes her feel like she can get through the day. It also helps her finish homework when the day is over. Finally, I interviewed 8th grader Eden Farthing who said she feels exhausted at the end of the day. Eden said that breaks feel like 2 minutes and you get told to go to your next class quickly. She also stated that we should at least have 10-minute breaks that feel like 10 minutes, and that it would be even better if they were longer. Nevertheless, Eden loves them. When we have the time outside she feels less pressured. After hearing all of these opinions, it’s evident that being outside for breaks during school helps many people mentally and physically, and makes time for meeting and connecting with new people.