The official World Mental Health Day is celebrated every 10th of October, with the goal of advocating mental health education and awareness. However, there’s another way you could celebrate Mental Health Day.
- Know what a Mental Health Day is. To take a mental health day means to take an unscheduled day off from work or school, in order to sort out your psychological or emotional problems. You could take a mental health day if you’re feeling too stressed or frustrated at work, if you’re in the midst of a high-pressure project and you just want to take a break from it, or if you’re suffering from anxiety at the very thought of going to the office.
- Avoid the guilt. A mental health day may not be the typical reason for having the day off. But think of it this way: How will you be able to work effectively if you’re just not in good condition mentally or emotionally? As you will need to rest your body in case you have a physical ailment, so should you rest your mind so you could achieve healthful mental stability. Plus, you’ve got the experts backing you up: according to the World Health Organization, health is “not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being.”
- Take the whole day to relax. Having a mental health day means you should really rest and relax your body and mind. It is not a day for you to do your chores or to run errands. Treat this day as a day for you to recuperate from the stressors at work. Stay in bed, listen to restful music, take some warm chicken soup, and catch up with your reading.
- Be strategic. Though it could be very tempting to take a mental health day on Mondays, avoid doing this. That’s because you would be most likely accused of malingering if you’re not in the office on a dreaded Monday. It’s best that you take your day off in the middle of the week; another bonus to this is that midweek is the best time for you to recharge after the pressures of Monday and Tuesday. In addition, take your mental health day during the day when you don’t have any deadlines due or office meetings scheduled. The stress of thinking about that unfulfilled obligation will just render your off futile!
- Call up your office. Inform your supervisor that you’re not feeling well that day and you need to take the day off. Don’t feel like you need to explain yourself too much. The key here is not to do this too often, or else your bosses will have a harder time accepting your absence.
- Have a coworker ready to take over. You should have a “partner” at work that can readily take over your general responsibilities while you’re away. You could return the favor for him whenever he needs to take a mental health day himself. Also, you should make it a point to organize and label your files well so the others at work can easily access them when necessary.
- Turn off your cell phone. It won’t do you any good to take a mental health day if the stresses from the office can follow you to your home! Once you’ve given your instructions, leave it at that and sign off.
Learn to value your mental health, and give your mind the opportunity to rest and relax now and then. Good luck!
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