{"id":46223,"date":"2015-12-15T07:15:40","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T12:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=46223"},"modified":"2021-05-17T07:32:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T11:32:12","slug":"mental-health-day-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/mental-health-day-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s Why You Should Take a Mental Health Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Reasons
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You use your vacation days to jet off to Mexico (OK, or a friend\u2019s winter wonderland-themed wedding in Vermont), personal days when you\u2019re renting a U-Haul and moving homes, and sick days when you\u2019re fighting a cold, flu, or post-bad-sushi-borne illness. So what about when you\u2019re feeling like you just need a day <\/em>to yourself?<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 10 Happiest Places on the Internet<\/a><\/p>\n

Your answer: the mental health day, an essential when it comes to maintaining a healthy work-life balance<\/a>. Here\u2019s what you need to know about needing, planning and successfully taking a mental health day.<\/p>\n

Why You Need a Mental Health Day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You know that coworker who always comes to the office when she has a cold? And you know how everyone insists she take a sick day, lest she make herself worse and infect the entire office (just days before the company holiday party, no less)?<\/p>\n

Feeling mentally or emotionally down is no different \u2014 and it\u2019s a legitimate reason to take a day off. \u201cThink of taking a day to yourself like going to the gym. At the gym you\u2019re working on maintaining physical benefits; when you take a mental health day, you\u2019re taking time to recharge and balance out your emotional state,\u201d says Brandon Smith, known as The Workplace Therapist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond that, consider the benefits from a risk management standpoint. If we don\u2019t take these days when we need them, it increases the probability that we lose our composure at work. We might break down in tears at a meeting, chew out a coworker, or yell at a customer \u2014 all things that can damage the reputation of your brand, hurt your presence in the office, or even cost you your job,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

How You Know You Need One<\/strong><\/h3>\n

But what\u2019s the difference between \u201cI don\u2019t feel like working today because I\u2019d rather watch Game of Thrones<\/em>\u201d and truly needing<\/em> to take a day to yourself? \u201cSome major signs are feeling exceptionally stressed or overwhelmed, or physically run down and exhausted,\u201d says Jennifer Kass<\/a>, a spiritual mentor. \u201cBut you could also benefit from a day off if something happened in your life \u2014 a breakup or another challenge \u2014 that you need to process emotionally and mentally. Even though society may not think a breakup requires healing as if you have the flu, healing your heart is as important as healing your body.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>6 Healthy Foods to Fight the Flu, Beat Stress and More<\/a><\/p>\n

The weather, change in seasons, and time of year also play a role. (Seasonal Affective Disorder<\/a> is the real deal, folks.) \u201cMany people don\u2019t get enough sunlight,\u201d says Smith. (Hi Seattle!) \u201cAnd certain occupations operate in cycles and have busy seasons, like accountants do in March and April. It\u2019s important to take days after those exceptionally busy times to recharge and reset. The workplace is like a marathon<\/a>, running until you drop, and that\u2019s not healthy.\u201d Know your season, and carve out your recovery days accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Planning the Perfect MHD<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If possible, don\u2019t wing it. You don\u2019t want to spend your MHD (yes, we\u2019re calling Mental Health Days by its acronym) worrying about incomplete tasks at the office, so prepare for the day by getting all your work done in advance and on time. \u201cBut sometimes, just like with a workout, you wake up and realize plans have changed,\u201d says Kass. \u201cDon\u2019t be rigid with yourself \u2014 know your body, your feelings, your emotions, and know when you\u2019ll benefit from taking the day to yourself,\u201d she adds. Also important? Knowing when you need to go into work, too.<\/p>\n

And as tempting as it can be to spend the entire day under the covers, the goal of the MHD is to recharge so you can return to the office feeling refreshed and revitalized. \u201cIt\u2019s perfectly OK to take a nap, indulge and rest a bit,\u201d says Smith. \u201cBut make sure you get out. Go for a walk, go to the gym, catch up with friends or do whatever you need to gain some form of positive energy. Don\u2019t spend the entire day locked inside your home. That won\u2019t fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>8 Signs You\u2019re Way Too Stressed (and How to Deal)<\/a><\/p>\n

For maximum results, try to take your day off on a Friday so you can luxuriate in a long weekend. \u201cThen you have the rest of the weekend uninterrupted,\u201d says Kass, who says a Friday through Sunday long weekend is better than a Saturday through Monday weekend. \u201cFridays have a fun feel to them \u2014 Mondays can be tough, overwhelming, and busy,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n

What to Tell Your Boss<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No, we don\u2019t recommend feigning illness or lying. If your company doesn\u2019t honor mental health days as part of your benefits package (many don\u2019t), keep it simple. \u201cIt\u2019s best to say you\u2019re feeling under the weather and leave it at that,\u201d says Smith. \u201cIt\u2019s an entirely true statement: If you\u2019re feeling down or angry; you\u2019re not 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe unapologetic about what you need,\u201d adds Kass. \u201cWomen especially are riddled with guilt \u2014 it\u2019s like an \u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019 epidemic. Just take your day without any justifications or excuses. Respect your decision, and know that when you respect yourself, everyone else respects you in turn,\u201d she says. Plus, people in an office setting rarely use all their sick, vacation and personal days. Make sure you use every single one \u2014 you deserve that time for yourself so you can be a more productive employee.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Reasons to Take Every Last Vacation Day<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s most important, Kass says, is to spend the day connecting with yourself in a meaningful way. \u201cCook<\/a>, meditate<\/a>, spend time in nature, utilize creative expression, physical movement like dance<\/a> or yoga<\/a>, write, listen to music or connect with people you haven\u2019t seen in a while,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Remember, it\u2019s not just about the day \u2014 it\u2019s about setting yourself up for success going forward. \u201cThe better we feel inside, the better our lives get,\u201d says Kass. Preach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone needs to take a mental health day \u2014 including you. Here\u2019s why using your PTO for yourself is so important for your body and mind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,12],"tags":[187,224,282,341,360,118],"class_list":["post-46223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-mental-health","tag-happiness","tag-illness","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2stress-management","tag-vacation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}