How to Take a Mental Health Day
What is a mental health day, and why are they important? Here you can learn all about taking care of your health by taking these crucial days as often as possible. Not only will these make you feel happier, but they will also help you be a better mom, wife, worker, friend, and more.
Brain Breaks And Why They Are So Important
We are living in a world where we need to be constantly connected. We pride ourselves on working long hours and not taking any time for ourselves. However, this is not healthy and leads to Teacher burnout.
Burnout is an emotional state characterized by feelings of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. It is caused by work overload or the inability to meet the demands needed to maintain a balance between work and other aspects of your life (family, relationships, etc.).
It also leads to decreased motivation and productivity. As a result, burnout can lead to mistakes at work and even thoughts of quitting your job.
All of our emotions get buried inside and will explode if they are not released healthily. Having all these emotions on top of the stress from work and life creates massive mental blocks and feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and many more unhealthy feelings.
It’s important to take breaks from technology, work, and life in general for a while. A brain break can be as simple as going for a walk or stretching your body. It could mean taking a shower or reading a book for 10 minutes. However, these are not enough nowadays.
Most often, the best brain breaks are when we take a mental health day.
What is a Mental Health Day?
A mental health day can be seen in many ways, and its definition is different for everyone. In regards to work, a mental health day is viewed as a sick or personal day. Many companies are now offering mental health days as another version of paid time off in the past few years.
But, even if you don’t work, you can still take mental health days, and they are still very needed. Taking a mental health day is not just for people who have mental health problems. Mental health days are important to take for anyone who feels stressed or overwhelmed by their demands.
A mental health day is when you focus on yourself for the entire day and try to release the mental tension you are experiencing. That can and will be different for everyone. But, keep reading for a few suggestions on great mental activities to try.
Benefits of a Mental Health Day
There are many benefits of taking a mental health day! They can provide you with clarity, re-energize you, and help you develop new ideas that might have been hiding inside your mind all along. Taking mental days will also help increase productivity, improve creativity, and reduce stress levels.
Technology in the workplace has caused many people to feel the need to break from their devices. When you use your mental health day to be free from technology, it helps you reconnect your body, mind, and spirit together. You will feel refreshed, and a weight is instantly taken off of you. It will also help you connect with nature and the world again.
We all need to take time out of our busy schedules to recharge and listen to our bodies’ physical cues that tell us when we feel stressed, bored, or exhausted.
Mental health days can reduce your chance of getting sick by lowering your risk of infection. It can also help you recover from any illnesses more quickly by taking care of yourself, and it will make you feel less overwhelmed by having some space away from work which can result in better decision-making skills.
If you haven’t taken a mental health day ever, you might even feel like a whole new person! Your burdens will feel lighter, and you’ll notice your body is more relaxed. You’ll have more energy to do things, and your brain fog will disappear.
These benefits are only if you work on your mental health during your day off. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.
How to Take a Mental Health Day
First, it is important to schedule your mental health day. Decide on a time that will work best for you and your family. If you have kids, try to find a babysitter or family member who can watch them so you can fully relax and focus on yourself.
Next, choose from a few different mental activities to help you release tension and relax. Choose from the list down below, or come up with your own. Don’t make a to-do list and get overwhelmed by your activities. Start with one and see how you feel. This is meant to be a relaxing day, so don’t overbook yourself!
While it may be hard, focus on yourself for the entire day. Only do things that will help your mental health and not hurt it. Now, you can relax and destress!
Best Activities for Your Mental Health Day
Here are a few activities that will help you release your tension and focus on your mental health. Choose from any of these, or get inspired by them and try something new too! Do what works for you, and not what works for everyone else. Listen to your mind and body.
- Yoga
- Guided meditation
- Mindfulness
- Nature walk
- Painting or water-coloring
- Bubble bath or hot steamy shower
- Nap
- Watch your favorite movie
- Get a massage
- Write in a journal
- Bake a delicious dessert
- DIY project
- Go to the beach
- Workout
- Talk to your mom or best friend
- Cry it all out
- Volunteer
- Cuddle a baby
- Read a book
- Listen to your favorite music
- Play an instrument or sing
- Talk to a therapist
- Deep breathing
- Eat a healthy meal
- Watch funny videos
- Drink water
- Try a new hobby
Mental health days are vital for our success and happiness in life. Now that you know how to take a health day, schedule one next week and enjoy the amazing benefits! What are you going to do during your mental health day?
Alternative Jobs for Teachers Outside of the Classroom
However, if you’re thinking about leaving the classroom and want to venture out on some other careers you can look into many other opportunities besides the classroom. For instance, I started this blog for parents and teachers to not only add value to their lives but also gain extra income as well.
For only $3.75 I started my blog on Bluehost and WordPress and even started a YouTube channel below to help supplement my teacher income and utilized Fiverr to do most of my kid’s animation videos on my YouTube channel.
