The Power & Beauty of Mental Health Days, and How to Take One
Taking a mental health day is an important way to practice regular self-care and set boundaries for your life. Mental health days allow for time to relax, recharge, or reflect in order to better cope with the sometimes overwhelming demands of everyday life. Let’s look at how self-care works and how taking a break from responsibilities for a set amount of time can help improve productivity and your sense of wellbeing.
The power of self care and mental health days
Self-care is the practice of taking an active role in protecting your own well-being and happiness, particularly during times of stress. It can include activities like meditation, exercise, journaling, mindful breathing, or spending time with friends and family. Self-care can also include more tangible actions such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, or going to therapy.
What are mental health days, anyway? They are scheduled, protected times away from responsibilities with the goal of rejuvenating and recharging.
Why mental health days are important
Mental health days are important to ensure that you take the time to replenish, refresh, and reset. It can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. This break from work-related stress can help reduce feelings of burnout, combat depression, and restore energy levels. Taking care of yourself is key so taking a day off can help you do that in order to come back more energized, alert, and productive at work.
Mental health days serve to alleviate stress, a loss of motivation, and declining interest in everyday life due to constant stressors. They also help improve overall wellbeing with benefits such as improved physical health, sleep, attitude, morale and outlook on life. They also are shown to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness as well as increase productivity and a sense of resiliency.
Interested in taking a mental health day? Here are some ways you could spend it:
Observing World Mental Health Day, and putting it on your calendar
Doing nothing, absolutely nothing
Doing something you’ve always wanted to do
Following your creativity - get curious and see where it leads you
Reading a book you loved as a kid
Journaling or draw
Baking something new
Cleaning
Sitting outside
Going to a movie
Other ways to support your mental health
Mental health days are an important piece of a great self-care and mental wellness routine. Here are some other ways to promote mental health and overall wellbeing.
Prioritize your own needs
Don’t wait until it's too late to prioritize your own needs, like sleep and healthy habits and routines. An important part of self-care is understanding how much you can reasonably handle and acknowledging when you need a break. Taking the time for yourself is beneficial for both physical and mental health. Making yourself a priority should be high on your list of priorities, no matter the circumstance.
Find things that lift your spirits
With the stress of work and everyday life, it’s important to allow yourself to take a mental health day when necessary and reconnect with friends and your community. To make your mental health days more effective, find activities that you enjoy and that lift your spirits. Whether that is going on a walk in nature or taking a yoga class, whatever helps destress you should be done while taking a mental health day.
Reconnect with nature and take time for yourself
An important aspect of self-care is reconnecting with nature. Taking a break from the indoor world and getting out into the elements can actually help us destress and reset our minds - it’s also a great way to help cope with stress. Head to a nearby park or take a stroll in your neighborhood. Enjoy the views, take big breaths of air, and allow yourself to relax. Taking this time for yourself will provide many benefits not only for your mental health but also for increased productivity when returning to work.
More ways to incorporate self-care outside of mental health days
Self care is an important part of maintaining good mental and physical health. Incorporating small moments of self care into your daily routine can help you stay grounded and bring joy to every day. From simple ideas like listening to music or having a cup of tea, to mindful activities like journaling or yoga, spending your mental health days with activities like these will take your self-care to a new, beautiful level!
Schedule fun, restorative activities regularly
Dedicating time for activities that bring you joy—whether it’s exercising, playing an instrument, or taking a hot bath—provides an opportunity to recharge and reflect on your emotional needs. Scheduling regular check-ins with yourself can make sure you are taking the necessary steps to nourish your mind and body. Make time for fun activities that restore your well-being and be sure to leave space in your planner to relax too!
Practice good sleep hygiene & routines
Establishing a regular sleep schedule and making sure you get enough quality sleep is an essential self care activity. Sleep is necessary for physical health and mental wellbeing, so make sure that you are getting adequate rest. Try setting a bedtime routine with activities like reading or yoga to relax your body and mind before going to sleep. You may also want to avoid screen time at least an hour before bed to ensure you drift off without distractions.
Create an uplifting home space
Next, create a positive environment in your home as an additional self care activity. Declutter and organize your space to minimize distractions, and incorporate elements of joy to make it a pleasant place that you can relax in. You can also take on small home improvement projects to make your living space even more inviting. Surround yourself with inspiring artwork, uplifting tones, and soothing scents—these will all add a sense of peace and contentment to your inner sanctuary.
Practice an attitude of gratitude
Tune into the moments of joy and gratitude that are already present in your life by expression your gratitude daily. Take time each day to write down 3-5 things that you’re grateful for as a way to practice mindfulness and positive thinking. This practice helps to bring greater appreciation and gratitude for all the wonderful things in your life, big and small. Focus on the beauty, growth, love, laughter, kindness and joyful moments that make up your day past or present—this will help create an even more positive outlook on life!