A Guide for Scheduling Your Mental Health Day
In honor of mental health day next week, have YOU thought about taking a mental health day? Ironically, if you follow the ideas below for when to take a mental health day, October 10 may not be the day. However, follow these tips to choose a time for a day to yourself without adding additional stress.
- Check your calendar for a slower day
- Plan something you absolutely love doing, that way you’ll be less tempted to cancel
- Work with a colleague or two to cover for you while you’re out and have only one person email or text you only if something critical arises
- Put the name and contact information of the colleague helping on your out-of-office message
- Trust your colleague, let go so you can enjoy your day
Now you need to figure out how to spend your mental health day to get the most out of it and to not think about work.
Here’s what not to do:
- Leave the day open
- Binge your streaming service
- Errands
- Do things on your to do list
Here’s what to consider when planning a day to look forward to so you can rejuvenate. Select an activity that makes you feel great and one in which you lose all track of time (get lost in the flow).
- Spend time outdoors
- Go to a yoga or meditation class
- Spend time with a friend or family member who energizes you, not drains you
- Learn something: practice an instrument, take a class
- Travel to the town next to yours
- Take your kids out of school and try something new or do your favorite activity when you’re together
Enjoy the new energy and new feeling you receive when you take care of yourself. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself and others.
