Let's chat about how important Mental Health Days are & some warning signs that we should take one as soon as possible.

Show Notes:

The culture we live in values work over well-being so much that it drives people to their unraveling. It’s terrible. And when someone wants to stand up for themselves & say it’s all too much, many employers will just find someone else who is eager to fill the role, until they meet the same ending as the former. It’s sad. But I believe the thing that can help with keeping a balance making the time to take care of yourself & incorporating some mental health days.

I didn’t know that World Mental Health was established in 1992. It’s amazing that it has been a day on the calendar for this long & it’s still not something widely spoken about in a positive way. There is still so much shame attached to admitting you’re struggling & needing help. People think they will appear weak, when really seeking help is a sign of strength because you are actually doing something about your struggle. Unlike many people who let it fester & build up until it becomes a bigger problem than it needed to be.

And this is why I wanted to chat about the importance of taking mental health days. 

I  want to talk about how to recognize that you need a mental health day & how to go about taking one if it’s not something that is recognized where you work. 

Let’s start with a few warning signs that will help you recognize that a mental health day is needed:

1. You are having trouble with your sleep.
2. You are unusually short-tempered.
3. You’re having trouble focusing.
4. You’re getting sick all the time.
5. You don’t feel like you have enough time to recharge.
6. Your normal coping mechanisms are not helping you deal with stress.

Now let’s talk about how to go about taking the mental health day that you very much deserve.

You can schedule and take days off with accrued vacation time, you can call in sick & use sick time or not get paid for that missed day or ask for a day off without pay. 

Sick Time:

If your stress & overwhelm hit it’s maximum without notice, I suggest you take a sick day. Call in sick to your employer & take the day to yourself. If you have accrued sick time, then you can still get paid for being out, which is a nice bonus.

Vacation Time:

If you know you are getting to a point of feeling overwhelmed or know you will need a break coming up soon, schedule it in advance. 

Unpaid Personal Day:

If you don’t have vacation time or sick time, most companies give the option of taking unpaid time off. And I understand if you’re weary of doing this because you need every dollar you can get, but you have to consider what it will give you in return if this is your only option. Can you actually wait until you have accrued time to take a day for yourself? Are you already struggling so much & it would be nice to have some downtime to regroup & recover? Could you consider spending less on a couple of other things to make up for not getting paid that day in exchange for taking care of yourself? You gotta ask yourself if it’s worth it to keep struggling for who knows how long or take a small loss to something that could help you become a little stronger.

Thank you again for listening & I hope this

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