The world is taking more immense strides every day to understand and accept mental health disorders. The conversation about mental wellness is growing and becoming more common at home, in schools and in the office.
Stress is a typical part of daily life, and some amount of stress can even be good for you. However, stressors might be more challenging to those experiencing anxiety or depression. Most days, you can conquer your tension, but how do you respond when you realize you’re reaching your stress limit? It’s OK to step back and take a break when you need to. Your mental well-being should take precedence over anything else.
Mental health days are essential to happy and productive work life. Learn when to take the day off and how to make the most of your mental health day.
Recognize When You Need a Mental Health Day
Workplace stress is a frequent occurrence. Working with a team, completing tasks and meeting deadlines can make worries pile up, but it’s crucial to realize when stress is affecting you consistently.
While pressure from daily duties continues to build, people may experience burnout. Many people describe this phenomenon as being in a state of mental and emotional exhaustion. Work can create burnout, but it’s not the only cause. Any stressor that leads you to experience emotional distress can result in these feelings.
How do you know when you need a mental health day? Some symptoms of burnout can include:
- Being overly critical of yourself or colleagues.
- Having to drag yourself to work.
- You have trouble getting motivated for projects you usually accomplish easily or enjoy.
- Lacking the fulfillment of checking tasks off your to-do list.
- Sleep disruptions.
- Decreased energy levels, making you feel unproductive.
- Difficulty concentrating on tasks and other work responsibilities.
Sometimes, work may not be the root of why you need a mental health day. Everyone has various things occurring in their personal lives, and sometimes events can stress you out. If the stress becomes too burdensome, take a day or two off to look after your mental health.
Benefits of a Mental Health Day
Taking a mental health day can be remarkably beneficial for your emotional and physical well-being. Carrying too much stress can make you feel overwhelmed, so take the time you need to recharge and reset.
Many might not know the benefits of making time to relax. Consider these reasons you should take a mental health day.
- Sleep: Do you find yourself yawning through meetings or hitting a daily afternoon slump? On a mental health day, you can finally get the sleep you’ve been craving. It’s crucial for your overall health to get seven to nine hours of uninterrupted nightly rest, but many U.S. adults are chronically sleep-deprived. Whether it’s because of stress or having an overloaded plate, too little sleep can adversely affect your mental health. Use part of your mental health day to sleep in a little longer, take a relaxing afternoon nap or go to bed at a more reasonable time.
- Lower stress: Stress is something everyone should take seriously. It affects your mental and physical health in various ways. Taking a mental health day may help lower your stress levels, and you can feel much happier and refreshed. Set a day aside to do some of your favorite activities that help you feel good about yourself.
- Complete tasks and run errands: There’s nothing like marking things off your to-do list. Running essential errands can alleviate some anxiety. Complete several tasks during your mental health day to feel accomplished.
- You’ll be more productive at the office: You’re constantly going all day, and sometimes you can find your mind drifting off at work more and more as stress builds. Taking mental health day can help you come back to work more focused and ready to knock out some major projects.
- Reconnect with things you love: Life goes by fast, and you get caught up in work. A significant benefit of taking a mental health day can be reconnecting with the things you love in life and refining your passions. Rekindle your love of a favorite hobby or take some time with loved ones.
Have an Effective Mental Health Day
Once you decide to take a mental health day, think about what activities or tasks you want to complete.
Here are some examples of plans you can make for your mental health day:
- Exercise at home or in the gym.
- Go for a walk.
- Run some errands.
- Read a book.
- Draw or paint.
- Meditate or practice yoga.
- Get a massage.
- Call or visit family or friends.
- Hang out with your pets.
Whatever makes you happy and helps you reset your outlook on life is an excellent activity to accomplish on your mental health day.
How to Take a Mental Health Day Without Feeling Guilty
Stress can sometimes get the better of you. You may become overwhelmed and want to do nothing all day. But lazing around may hinder your progress in improving your mental health.
Try and avoid these tasks on your mental health day:
- Watching TV shows.
- Indulging in substances like alcohol, tobacco, etc.
- Avoiding loved ones.
- Binge eating.
- Mindlessly scrolling through social media.
Maximize your mental health day with the things that make you happy. The primary goal of your day is to enjoy yourself and have fun, not dwell on the reasons you may be anxious. Feeling productive is a great way to boost your well-being and work toward getting your mental health back on a positive track.
Stress can be challenging, and taking a guilt-free mental health day can get you on the right path to feeling better.
Contact Taylor Counseling Group to Schedule Counseling Services
Monitoring your mental health is a crucial aspect of striking a successful work-life balance. Recognize when you feel like it’s time to step back and take a break. Mental health days are valuable, and it’s OK to use one when you need to reboot.
If you’re interested in getting mental health support through counseling or therapy, turn to the compassionate professionals at Taylor Counseling Group. We believe in affordable care and removing barriers to mental health care. Schedule an appointment online or call to learn more about the different services we offer.
