How to Take a Mental Health Day

Mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves. The COVID-19 crisis gave us more than enough reasons to take stock of how we are doing mentally and emotionally, and as it turns out, we’re not doing that great. Rates of depression and anxiety are skyrocketing, and people are languishing, struggling to just get through the day. We are exhausted, lonely, and burned out. If taking a well-deserved mental health day is on your list of things to do, here’s a step by step guide to help you plan, prepare, and make the most of it.

First, it’s important to get into the habit of regularly assessing how you’re doing. Ask yourself, daily: “How am I doing?” “What do I need?” It may be the case that you are doing fine, and don’t need anything. But the earlier you notice that you’re not doing that great, the sooner you can step in to prevent your mood from sinking lower.

You might want to get into the habit of rating yourself from 1–10 on the following dimensions: exhaustion, apathy, dread. You could use the anchors below to assess how you’re doing, or you could create your own.

1–3 = You’re in the GREEN zone and good to go!

4–6 = You’re in the YELLOW zone, which means caution — it may be time to take some things off your plate (you’re “pre-burnout.”)

7–10 = You’re in the RED zone, which likely means you need a break ASAP — you’re burned out.

If you’re hovering around a 5+ for an extended length of time (2–3 weeks or more) you might consider a mental health day to recharge your batteries. Assess your personal needs to determine what works best for you.

Approach your supervisor (in person or by email) and request a “sick day” or “personal day,” usually there’s no need to give details. You could simply say: “I need to take this coming Friday off to tend to some personal matters.” If you can, it’s better to give some notice to ensure coverage and deadlines are still met (if possible).

If you decide to “call in” the morning of, simply inform your supervisor that you aren’t feeling well and need to take the day off. Again, no need to give more detail. It’s your personal time. If pressed for more detail, simply say: “I’m not feeling well. It would be better for me to stay home/take the day off.”

If you’re planning to attend regular therapy sessions to address stress or mental health issues, this probably requires a longer and a bit more detailed conversation with your supervisor. Requesting to use some personal or sick time every week or every other week might be worth explaining that you are participating in a course of treatment that is intended to last 10–12 weeks (or however long you and your therapist decide according to your treatment plan — if you don’t have one of those, consider a different therapist). Some employers require you to use some of your medical leave (if offered) and this is worth doing. You’ll likely need to work with HR and your therapist/doctor to fill out the correct paperwork.

Plan your mental health day in advance. This doesn’t have to be a rigid schedule but do give some thought in advance to how you want to spend the day, and what activities will be most restorative. You could make a list of ideas to select from, depending on how you feel that day, or pull activities out of a hat — why not have some fun with it? Your list might include: sleeping in, Netflix, pampering, calling or texting with a loved one, family member or friend (perhaps not one who’s at work), taking a walk, nature bathing, tending to your garden, journaling, meditating, exercising, stretching, cooking, baking, etc. The goal is not to be “productive,” but purposeful with your time.

Finally, give yourself the break you need. Self-care is an essential preventative practice, and it’s better to take the time by recharge before a complete collapse. Give yourself permission to tend to your needs because humans need breaks. If you find yourself feeling guilty, listen for those nasty “should statements” like, “I shouldn’t be doing this,” “I shouldn’t need to take a break,” “I should be stronger than this” and replace them with a “would statement” like this: “It would be super if I didn’t need this break, but I’m human and I do, so I’m going to make the best of my time.” This restatement, or reframing, is an incredibly useful tool for acknowledging and allowing, which is way better than denying and shaming. Feeling guilty about taking your mental health day is the best way to undermine your efforts to feel better — which is the whole point of taking a mental health day!