We have all had times when we feel mentally overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, or depressed. When those feelings and thoughts occur before a workday, we have to decide if we can manage work or if we need to take a mental health day. We often put our mental health on hold because we think of our job as more important. Learning to make your mental health a priority will help you manage symptoms and better understand your emotions and feelings.
When to Take a Day Off
Whether you should take a mental health day comes down to understanding and knowing what is causing your struggles. Are you having extreme anxiety over an event that just took place? Sometimes when unexpected things occur, taking some time to process and work through that situation is helpful. Have you suffered from something like anxiety for some time? Are these new feelings or ones that you have felt for a while? It is important to know that avoidance is common when suffering from anxiety. If that is your situation, staying home from work will probably not help much. Knowing what you are feeling is key to understanding how to work with your mental health.
Use Your Time Wisely
Your first thought might be to spend your day binge watching Netflix or Hulu. While this may sound like a good idea, there are probably more useful things to do with your time. If you have been worried about making time for specific appointments, do those now. If you have not gotten the amount of sleep that you need, use your time off to relax and catch up on your rest. If you use your day wisely, you will thank yourself and feel good about your choices at the end of the day.
Everyone faces unique struggles and mental health challenges. Learning to understand and acknowledge your specific mental health needs is key to successfully working with your mental health. Occasionally we need to take a day off to work through our feelings and thoughts to improve our well-being. Sometimes it may be more beneficial to work with a professional to learn how to address and manage our struggles in a healthy and productive way. Here at The Guest House, we are ready to help you gain the skills needed to work through any struggle or obstacle. Call us today to learn more about our treatment options and how we can help you at (855) 483-7800.