How to Take An Effective Mental Health Day
What is a mental health day?
It’s pretty much a day that doesn’t involve engaging with major sources of stress or frustration. It’s a day to relax, decompress and take care of yourself overall. If you notice that you’re easily agitated, physically or mentally exhausted, anxious or unable to focus, you could probably use a mental health day.
We all have experienced times in our life where we are physically, emotinally and/or mentally tired. You may have heard referenced as “hitting a brick wall” or “burnout”. There are plenty of physical signs of burnout, but many clues also come from your emotional state. One of the biggest roles in preventing burnout is being insightful and honest about how you’re feeling.
Signs of burnout can include:
Irritability and a quick temper.
Withdrawal from things that used to be fun and meaningful.
Constantly feeling anxious.
Feeling detached from both work and others.
Cynicism.
Lack of motivation or focus.
Feeling exhausted.
Not taking care of yourself physically or emotionally.
Feeling sick.
Missing appointments
Forgetfulness
Ask yourself these questions , “What do I need?” Do you need rest? Do you need a change of scenery? Do you need time alone or one-on-one time with your spouse? Or maybe you’ve been feeling so overwhelmed the past couple of weeks that you just need to have a little fun. It’s so easy to get caught up in the routine of work, home that sometimes changing up our routine can help. Try engaging in simple activities that can help you unwind and unplug from the usual rigmarole of your daily life. Such examples are: Taking a bath, Yoga, Meditation, Eating out with friends, Exercising, Taking a walk outside, Going to a movie just to name a few. Remember to take time for you because you are worth it.
