Take A Mental Health Day

"Do something nice for yourself today. Find some quiet, sit in stillness, breathe. Put your problems on pause. You deserve a break." - Akiroq Brost

Research shows that we need to take a break and decompress so we can be our best at work, at home and in our lives. Maybe we should ask ourselves if the life we are working so hard to create is fun to live?

With everything that is going on in the world today, it's easy to say that there is a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and stress that everyone is experiencing. This might mean different things to different people, as we are all different, have different circumstances and/or just deal with things differently. Everyone has to deal with varying levels of stress. This can be particularly difficult to manage if you also have symptoms of depression or anxiety. 

When you feel like your stress levels have reached their peak, it might be time to take a quick break to reset. Sometimes taking a mental health day—a day off that's specifically geared toward stress relief and burnout prevention—is the best thing you can do for yourself. While one day might not solve heavy underlying problems that lead to burnout, a mental health day can provide a much-needed break to pause, regroup, and come back with greater levels of energy and a fresh, less-stressed perspective. 

Once you have decided to take a mental health day, the question then becomes "when and how?" Ideally, if you can schedule a day off ahead of time, ensuring that you've taken steps to rearrange your workload or find a replacement for the day, this is the best way to do it so that you're not feeling stress about taking the day off. However, if you wake up in the morning and just feel that you can't face the stress of the day, this may be a good time to take a mental health day and make the most of it. Weekends work well, too. While a "traditional" mental health day generally includes taking a day off from work, it's not necessary to completely have the day off from work, in order to take a day to focus on stress relief. 

Knowing what you can expect to get out of a mental health day is important. It's important to remember that it isn't a day to hide from your problems. An effective mental health day can help you:   

• Review and reflect on what is going on, take a step back and evaluate
• Reset your perspective 
• Release your stress 
• Relax your mind 
• Rest your body 
• Regroup your thoughts and emotions 
• Renew your energy 

Problems can seem harder to deal with when they seem close, overwhelming, and inescapable. Taking a mental break from work and spending some time on self-care can sometimes give you the mini-break you need to head back into things with a clear head. 

It is also important to decide what you need most. Sometimes this one is a no-brainer—if you're exhausted, your body will be screaming that it needs to rest. Of, if you feel you can't face another day of hard work, you may just need to have some fun or to get yourself organized. 

However, if you're feeling overwhelmed, you may not be as aware of your needs. Take a minute and really reflect: 

• Would you benefit the most from some tension relief? 
• Or from making a few changes that will relieve stress in the future? 
• Some time with a loved one? 
• Or just a change of scenery? 

As different stressors require different responses, different types of mental health days fill unique needs. Taking a mental health day often means taking time out to relax. That can mean binge-watching TV in pajamas for hours, or puttering around the house and doing nothing. As long as this isn't an everyday thing, that's fine. Do something out of the ordinary. Something you haven't allowed yourself the time to do. Some activities can take a little front-end effort and feel immensely relaxing once they're completed. It should be enjoyable and you should not feel guilty for taking some much needed time for yourself. 

Some things you can try include: 

• Get outside! Take a walk in nature. This can be both soothing and exciting at the same time. 
• Do, or learn yoga, or meditation.
• Read. For enjoyment or to learn something new.
• Listen to music. Music can do amazing things to your attitude and mood. You could get up and dance or listen to something soothing or listen to songs that bring back great memories. 
• Try spending a day without technology (well at least your phone, computer and maybe even your TV). The idea is to disconnect. Disconnect from the news, or social media, email, texts, constant interruptions or things that feed into your anxiety. 
• Phone a friend. Renew a friendship. Reach out to a loved one. 

The key is to spend time doing an activity that you find relaxing and enjoyable, whether it's taking a hike, exploring a museum, or just spending some time immersed in a good book.  

Things NOT to Do: 

• Avoid friends and family 
• Smoke, drink, or use other substances 
• Overeat unhealthy foods 
• Ruminate or wallow in negative emotions 
• Spend all day reading posts on social media, or watching the news

There are plenty of ways to spend your day, whether you decide to catch up on some much-needed sleep, indulge in a hobby you love, or hang out with a friend. Spend your day on activities that boost your physical and mental wellness. 

Find simple ways to relax and include something fun. Think of it as a much needed change of scenery and work to make the most of it. Plan at least one fun event—either something you normally love to do and don't do often enough, or something you've always wanted to try. Heck, involve a friend or a loved one. Taking a mental break does NOT have to be done alone. It just allows you to regroup, refresh, reset or relax. 

If nothing grabs your attention, try to engage in activities that provide just the right type of challenge: Hobbies, games, and the like. If the stressors seem to pile up and you're looking for a way to slow down and stop the "noise," you may want to take a day to restructure things. 

You may not be able to eliminate all of your ongoing stressors in a day, but you might be able to make a significant reduction in a few areas, which may, in turn, create a lasting impact on your stress levels. You can start to eliminate stress by: 

• Creating a list of things that drain your energy 
• Working from there on eliminating stressors 
• Taking a look at your priorities 
• Cutting out some of your larger stressors 
• Working on increasing job satisfaction 

Don't expect to be able to take on all of this in a single day. If you want to use your mental health day to make real changes in your life, use it as a chance to evaluate, plan, organize and get ready to work on those changes. Start small, and do one thing at a time. 

Make today a great day!

Curtis

"Let’s loosen up some time and take a break to re-calibrate our life. We need no endless over-thinking, though. Let’s just connect the dots, set the scene, and steam ahead." - Erik Pevernagie