How To Have An Effective Mental Health Day

If you're struggling with your mental health, this short talk will help you understand the importance of prioritizing your mental health, how to take an effective mental health day, and tips on do's and don't for getting the most out of the day.

Transcript

As life continues to grow more stressful,

It's important to prioritize your mental health.

Your mind controls every aspect of your life,

And when your mental health suffers,

So does every other area of your life,

Including your relationships,

Finances,

And career.

Prioritizing your mental health will help you to approach the challenges you experience in life with grace and a clear mind.

You are more likely to make better decisions with long-term positive effects when you are in a healthier state of mind.

In addition,

If you are living with a chronic illness,

Either physical or mental illness,

You will have better health outcomes when you are experiencing less stress in your life.

That is why taking a mental health day can really help you to prioritize the areas of your life that really need more attention,

As well as the areas of your life that no longer serve you.

So in today's talk,

We are going to talk about when to take a mental health day and how to make the most of it so that it helps you accomplish the goals that you'd like in the short term and in the long term.

When to take a mental health day.

Everyone has to deal with varying levels of stress.

This can be particularly difficult for people struggling with anxiety and depression.

When you feel like your stress levels have reached their peak,

It might be time to take a quick break to reset.

Here are some examples of stress symptoms that warrant a mental health day.

You're always feeling tired,

Even though you get eight hours or more of sleep a night.

You're moody,

Irritable,

And unmotivated in the work that you do.

Your relationships are suffering and you're experiencing more conflict with your loved ones and colleagues than you normally do.

You're experiencing pain in your body,

Frequent headaches,

Skin issues,

Brittle nails,

Digestive problems,

Or other severe health issues.

While one day may not be enough to solve any heavy underlying issues,

A mental health day can provide a much needed break from the hamster wheel,

Keeping you stuck in a bad circumstance.

It can also be the start of a new self-care ritual that supports your long-term wellbeing.

Once you have determined that you will be taking a mental health day,

You want to schedule your mental health day.

Schedule your mental health day on a day that is most convenient for you.

The best day for most people is on a weekend so that it doesn't conflict with your work or other responsibilities.

While some workplaces do encourage mental health,

Others might not.

And so taking time off during the week might actually be more stressful for you.

It's up to you if you want to share with your boss and colleagues that you are planning a mental health day if it is during the work week.

It's also up to you if you want to share this with family or friends.

They don't necessarily need to know.

You might also want to consider a federal holiday where you don't have to go to work or use a personal day.

If you do need to schedule it during the week,

Make sure to get all of your ducks in a row so you are not stressed when removed from your responsibilities.

Here are some tips to do so.

Rearrange your workload so that you don't have anything piled up last minute.

Complete all urgent tasks in advance so you're not working on them during your mental health day.

Set up your out-of-office reminder so your colleagues know not to contact you while you're off.

Once you've scheduled your mental health day,

Commit to it and don't let anything or anyone change your plans.

This day is meant for you to reconnect with yourself and understand your needs so that you can start to meet them intuitively and more consistently.

The next step is to plan your mental health day.

Once you've scheduled your mental health day,

Take some time to plan what you want to accomplish that day.

Create an objective for yourself and an outcome that you hope to achieve.

However,

Try not to over-plan because you don't want to overwhelm yourself.

You see,

Most people tend to overestimate how much they can accomplish in a short amount of time and underestimate how much they can accomplish in a long amount of time.

So keep the daylight and simple so that you can focus more on relaxing,

Recharging,

And learning more about your needs.

Some examples of objectives for the day can be identifying the areas of your life that drain your energy and can be removed from your routine.

This can include relationships,

Career,

Or even hobbies.

Another objective can be assessing the areas of your life that you want to prioritize and how your current routine either supports or distracts from your priorities.

You can also define the goals that you would like to achieve in your life and create a vision for yourself for the future.

Also be sure to plan your activities for the day that will recharge you,

Something that you really enjoy doing.

Some examples of activities include planning a relaxing spa day where you treat yourself to a massage or a facial,

Journaling,

Meditating,

Yoga or physical activity of choice,

Spending time in nature,

Meal planning,

Creating a vision board,

Booking a session with a therapist,

Or searching for or connecting with a mentor that will help guide you in the direction you want to go in life.

Not only do you want to plan the things that you want to accomplish on your mental health day,

There are also a few things to avoid.

Remember that your mental health day is all about you.

It's an opportunity for you to spend time in your own energy,

Learn more about yourself,

And learn more about your unique needs that may have been neglected for some time.

Your mental health day is also about nourishing yourself both spiritually and physically.

Being proactive about your life is the best way to change your circumstances and move in the direction that you want to go.

Here are some tips on what to avoid doing on your mental health day to make sure you get the most out of this experience.

Tip one,

Avoid staying in bed all day,

Sleeping,

And wallowing in unhealthy emotions.

If you're stressed or burned out,

Then you may feel more tired and look at this as an opportunity to catch up on much needed rest.

It's okay to sleep in or go to sleep early,

But remember that this is time that you've scheduled to focus and take action on the changes you need to make in your life.

Don't let that go to waste.

Tip two,

Avoid friends and family who might be judgmental or unsupportive of your mental health needs.

Although it may be tempting to want to spend time with family or friends,

This day is geared toward the more specific agenda that you have set for yourself.

Tip three,

Avoid alcohol,

Smoking,

Or any other substance that might cause physical harm or negatively affect your cognitive abilities.

Tip four,

Avoid overeating unhealthy foods that can make you feel sluggish or cause digestive problems.

And tip five,

Avoid social media,

Which can be a sore spot for many people because of the illusion of the perfect lives that you might think other people are leading.

It is also notorious for sucking people in that can take hours out of your day,

Which can be used more productively.

It's important to note that you may not complete everything you set to accomplish in one mental health day.

However,

This can be a start to a beautiful new self-care routine that with time brings out the best version of yourself.

Nothing is more precious than life than your mental health.

Your mental resilience is what will get you through your most challenging times.

If you're looking for specific tools on how to make the most out of your mental health day,

Then check out my talk on the IPVA framework that will help you identify,

Prioritize,

Visualize,

And act on all the goals that you set for yourself.

This framework is based on the eight components of wellness that surround the person so that all important areas of your life are being addressed and improved.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

Wishing you peace,

Love,

And joy.

I will see you in the next lecture.

Namaste.