'To help them balance their lives': Waukegan high school gives teens lessons in happiness
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's a stressful time of year for high school students, but a new course at a Waukegan high school aims to help.
It's giving students a lesson in happiness - and the science behind it. CBS 2's Noel Brennan has more.
"At night, like when we're doing homework and we don't get it, so then we're like 'ugh.' yeah!"
High schoolers have their plates full.
"There's physical things we worry, and emotional things we worry about, and mental things we worry about. And it all ends up piling up. In reality, it's pretty hard."
Students like Nicole Parra at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan said they deserve a break. Counselor Christina Dippold gives it to them every Tuesday.
"I definitely think they enjoy the candy and the treats that are provided," said Dippold, who shares lessons from a professor at Yale who teaches the science of happiness.
"The course that we're about to offer is actually targeted directly toward teens to help them balance their lives to be happier people."
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 57% of teen girls in the U.S. felt "persistently sad or hopeless" in 2021.
"We are seeing a rise in depression and anxiety. Here in Waukegan, there are fewer resources to meet the growing needs of our students," Dippold said.
This course is a new resource. And now students learn how to silence their inner critic. It's called "The Science of Well-Being," and it's a free online course through Coursera from Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos. The counselor at the school in Waukegan leads the lessons that Santos created.
"Compassion is, really, a good way to go about it," Parra said.
As the semester goes on – Dippold hopes her students can find happiness, even with a full plate.
"I think they're leaving thoughtful and reflective and pondering real changes to make in their life."
The course is just one way the school focuses on the mental health of students. Starting next year, the school will bring in a part-time therapist to work with students to help them find balance in their busy lives.
