How to Take An Effective Mental Health Day

Every so often, it’s a great idea to make time for you - and take a mental health day to recharge.

You’ve probably called in sick to work before when you had the flu or had a fall. That’s because taking time off for physical health issues is commonplace. The practice of taking time off work to tend to your mental health is more of a gray area - but just as necessary.

Even though you have Paid Time Off (PTO) days - you probably just “bank” them - you may feel guilty or hesitant to use one and push yourself to head into work. The problem is, when you’re feeling too stressed, often you and your work suffer, potentially leading to performance issues that can hurt your relationships and add to your stress.

It can be all too easy to convince yourself that poor mental health isn’t a good enough reason to take time off work. We all have things we need to work on - and taking a mental health day, whether paid or not, can be one of the best decisions you can make! Face it, you know yourself better than anyone - who better to make that call?

What to do? It might not mean going anywhere special or doing anything planned at all. The important thing is you’ve recognized that you needed to hit the “reset” button - and slow it down a bit to get your footing back.

Your mental health is just as important to your overall well-being as your physical health. Start taking care of your overall wellness - by first recognizing that taking a mental health day can be an effective way of lowering stress, increasing your ability to meet challenges head-on, and working toward being your best self!