For one, there are a million reasons why you might need a mental health day. Maybe you deal with a mental health condition that comes with symptom flare-ups, maybe you’re coming off a high-stress project and need to reset, you’re dealing with grief, or you just can’t today! An effective, restorative mental health day will mean something different to everyone, and you have to personalize it to your needs. Here are nine handy tips for making the most out of mental health days.
1. Think of mental health days as a regular tune-up, not damage control.
Notice signs of work fatigue early and, instead of pushing through it, proactively take care of your mental health, including restoration and self-care. We live in a culture that prioritizes productivity over mental health and often requires us to overwork ourselves. Too often people think they have to be really struggling before they’re allowed a break but taking care of yourself before you absolutely have to is how you avoid burnout.
2. Consider scheduling ahead.
Proactively saying, “Okay, next Friday I’m going to take off for a mental health day,” gives you more of an opportunity to plan exactly how to spend it. Since the point of a mental health day is to positively impact our mental health to some degree, we can benefit from making a game plan for it.
3. Actually unplug from work.
Way too many people take time off work only to stay engaged with it in little ways anyway. They check their emails, cell phones, or just spend time ruminating about their jobs. Which is understandable. If you’re taking a mental health day, it’s likely you’re feeling some sort of way about work. But resist the urge to stay plugged in or ruminate. If you’re having a hard time getting into this state of mind, remind yourself that this break is beneficial to your work too. When we are overworked, it leads to higher rates of worker dissatisfaction and burnout, which lowers productivity.
4. Honor the need to do nothing.
If you’re dealing with mental health symptoms or really going through something, practicing self-care in whatever small ways you can manage. The essence of self-care is positive self-talk. When you’re having a hard time, your inner voice needs to be loving and kind and supportive. Don’t beat yourself up. Remind yourself you deserve a break.
5. Connect with other people.
Social connection is a huge pillar of self-care in general, but it’s an option for mental health days. Reaching out to others, whether hanging out with a friend or calling a loved one or catching up with long-distance friends. Being around other people can be beneficial.
6. Get into nature.
You probably don’t need anyone to tell you that the healing powers of nature are plentiful. Research has shown that more time in nature can be strongly tied to reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Letting nature nurture you doesn’t have to be an exhausting hike or a strenuous activity. You can find a park or sit in nature and just be.
7. Tackle your to-do list.
Taking a break from work to do more work might not sound like the best use of a mental health day, but honestly, it might be for you. Errands, chores, and other tasks can pile up when you’re buried in your work, and having that hanging over you is stressful. Feeling like we can’t keep up with our life causes an overflow of anxiety that is hard to shake. Sometimes you need a day to handle the things you’re not handling at home to relieve some anxiety and worry.
8. Do something creative.
Connecting yourself with a sense of inspiration is a worthy option. When you’re feeling fatigued from the work you have to do try creating something, writing in your journal, color, woodworking, or making something creative. Anything that stretches a different sort of muscle that you don’t regularly get to exercise at work. Do something you’ve never done before, especially if you’ve been feeling stuck at work. By participating in new experiences, you’re creating a memory associated with joy that you can draw on later.
9. Remember mental health days aren’t all-or-nothing.
As great as mental health days are, remember that they’re not going to work miracles. Keep your expectations in check and don’t put too much pressure on these days. They are little scoops of wellness; you need to make a practice out of it!
As part of this practice, you should also build in mini mental health activities on the days you’re not taking off. Remember to take breaks, get outside for lunch or a midday trip around the block, pay attention to signs of fatigue and address them through self-care. The more you infuse your life with small habits of workplace wellness, the more effective your mental health days will be when you take them!
