Mental health days are soooooooo important! But, I'll be honest... I'm horrible at it. So, I found these tips and thought they were spot on. Thought I'd pass along the info because we ALL need to take a little better care of ourselves :)
- Think of mental health days as a regular tune-up—not damage control -Ideally, we’d take mental health days before we get to a place where we desperately need them.They should be proactive, not reactive, so if you feel like you need a break, it’s probably time.
- Consider scheduling ahead- That way you can give your job a head’s up and make a game plan for your day to get the most out of it.
- Actually unplug from work- Resist the urge to check work emails and check in with work on your mental health day. And if you’re a workaholic type who has a hard time with this, remind yourself that you’re trying to recharge so you can be more productive when you return to the office.
- Honor the need to do nothing- Sometimes self-care is as simple as burritoing up in a blanket to binge-watch TV or spending the afternoon reading a book and there’s nothing wrong with that.
- Connect with other people- Even though you may feel like hiding out from the world, reaching out to a friend may help you work through your work-related stress, too. Making that social connection may give you a boost you didn’t realize you needed.
- Get into nature- This doesn’t mean you have to go on an exhausting hike in the wilderness, it can be as easy as going to a park or botanical garden, or just taking a walk outside in your neighborhood.
- Tackle your to-do list- Spending your day off work doing more work may not sound like the ideal mental health day, but it could work for you. If you’re stressed about not having time for errands, chores, and such, use the day to handle things you need to.
- Do something creative- If you’ve been feeling stuck at work, getting creative by writing in your journal, coloring in an adult coloring book, or picking up that knitting you’ve been ignoring may help and be fun.
Source:Self