Sharing this for all of you out there that are hard on yourself & need a mental health day. It’s Okay to Take a Mental Health Day if you needed it!
It’s Okay to Take a Mental Health Day
I am writing this technically on a Monday, but for me, today is still Sunday. It’s not Monday! It may be Monday to the world, but it is not in my house. Spring forward hasn’t been nice to us, all of us as a family have run ourselves ragged with school assignments, projects, work, you name it, not to mention allergy and sinus issues we haven’t taken care of, our anxiety & depression that has been suppressed for the last few weeks. We may not have the stomach bug like some of our family (bless them & may the force be with them????) but, it’s enough of an excuse to take a “sick” day.
We never do this and maybe that is why we are run down, who knows. But mental health is vital and just because it is not a “physical” illness it is still an issue that needs to be dealt with accordingly.
So…. I canceled all of my meetings for today, Chris held off on todos and projects that need to be done for work and we are just “being”. We are not the type of family that will sit and watch movies all day, but we will do something we enjoy to do with allergy issues permitting, (if you live in the South you know what I am talking about) like arts and crafts, a reno of some kind or a small wood project. My point is, a day off may not look the same for everyone and NO WAY is wrong. Do what you need to do for your own mental health.
The Guilt is Real
Taking a day off does come with a price though, for me at least. GUILT! Right now as I write this I’m thinking, we shouldn’t have taken this day off. Some people have it so much worse and need a day more than we do. But if there is one thing I learned while having my heart surgeries was that, yes someone may have it worse, but that doesn’t mean your feelings are not valid. Do not minimize your feelings and do not let anyone else do it for you.
So today is Sunday! Tomorrow may be a beast since it will be our Monday…. but that is okay…. we will deal with that tomorrow when it comes our way! One day at a time! Right? 😉
Tough Love
Now before the negative Nellies come out & say: it must be nice to take a day off. I wish I had a job where I could take a day off. I wish this or that. My comment back to you: you can! It’s all in the priorities! Every decision you make comes with a consequence or action of some kind. Tomorrow will be double crazy for us, but at least we rested for it. If you feel you cannot take a day off then maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities. Mental health should be at the top of the list. One day is not going to kill you or anyone else. Now stop acting like you have it so bad by playing the victim and hush!???? Tough love, but someone has to do it!
Know When You Need a Mental Health Day
So here’s the thing, if you wake up and feel especially stressed, down, or anxious, at a level that impairs your functioning, it’s time to consider taking the day off. Of course, sometimes you just feel unexplainably “off.” It’s okay to take the day to yourself then, too. Use your personal judgement and listen to your mind and body. That is key! So many times we suppress our feelings of overwhelm and all that does is make matters worse. Instead of taking a day off now, you could end up taking a lot more time off if you continue to wait and suppress it even more.
