Why You Should Take a Mental Health Day

If you feel stressed and overwhelmed, it may be time for a mental health day. Here is why you should take a mental health day and how to plan one.

I don’t know about you, but I feel always stretched thin. It’s as if I need more hours in the day or even a clone of myself to get everything done! I sometimes even say to myself I wouldn’t be able to get a whole lot more done if I didn’t have to sleep. Many of us live this way day to day, but it is physically and mentally exhausting. This is why everyone needs a mental health day. A mental health day means different things to different people, but for a lot of people, it’s a day that you take to not worry about the things you normally do. Here is why you should take a mental health day and how to plan one.

Why You Should Take a Mental Health Day

It allows you to regain focus – When we do the same things day in and day out, it can be extremely easy to lose focus, clarity, and even motivation. A mental health day lets you take a break so you can come back and focus again. It works similarly to a break you might take at work but for an entire day.

It helps you reach goals quicker – Taking a mental health day may seem counter-productive towards reaching your goals, but it actually helps you reach them faster. The time off renews your motivation and focus so you can be more productive. Additionally, planning for a mental health day gives you a goal to work towards. You may find yourself completing tasks faster in order to be able to take that day off.

It helps you with your physical health too – Constantly staying stressed leads to poor sleep, elevated blood pressure, and the release of stress hormones that can wreak havoc on your body. Taking a mental health day regularly can keep your physical health in check.

How to Plan a Mental Health Day

Make a list of tasks that need to be completed in order to take the day off – This way you won’t be thinking about them when you do get your mental health day. You will be able to take a day off without feeling guilty. On the flip side, don’t make your to-do list unreasonable or you may never get around to taking your day off.

Resist the urge to take on other things on your day off – It can be easy to use your day off to ‘catch up’ on other things like doctor appointments, errands, or even house cleaning. Try not to use your day off to do such tasks or it won’t feel like a day off at all.

Enlist others to help you – If you really do need your home cleaned or you feel like you can’t rest with nagging errands that need to be done, ask for help or even hire some. Schedule this in advance so you won’t have to figure it out on your mental health day.

Make sure you have a plan for the day – Even if that plan is to do ‘nothing’ plan that so you will stick with it. You may even want to let others know you will be taking the day off so they will know you aren’t available.

Unplug if you think it will help – Some people unplug on their mental health days. That way they don’t have to face social media drama or phone calls from stressful places. If you don’t want to unplug, a phone call to a friend would be a lovely way to spend time on your mental health day.