How to Take An Effective Mental Health Day
Here’s the thing…
Not all mental health days look the same for everyone, and that’s the exciting part! First thing I want you to do if you’re feeling burned out or just fried at both ends, is to take a BIG. DEEP. BREATH. IN. (count in for 5 seconds……. and release through the mouth until you have no more air to expel…) * Sigh * There… do you feel a little better? Good.
Whether you’re a business owner, like myself, a stay-at-home momma, or a student, I want to let you in on a little secret… it’s okay to take a mental health day! So, let any kind of guilt go that may be holding you back.
More and more now we are seeing the importance of caring for our mental health on the rise! Maybe in our parent’s and grandparent’s generations it was frowned upon; being seen as silly or ridiculous. But a great part of our health, starts in the mind!
Psychotherapist, mental health specialist and meditation practitioners can all agree that the way we act, feel, and be in our daily life, starts in the mind (our thoughts).
I’m constantly reminded of the verse in the Bible where it says, “Do not conform to the ways of the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” -Romans 12:2
Taking a mental health day should be something that brings peace, not anxiety.
So, ask yourself right now, “what brings you peace or joy?” Maybe it’s a day on the couch at home, binging your favorite show. Maybe is unplugging from every device and social media, and just escaping to the mountains or the ocean for the day. Or it’s having a day or half day of self-care. * Side note… self-care doesn’t always need to be a massage, or facial or hair appointment, and this is coming from a massage therapist! Self-care is whatever fills your soul back up… it recharges the battery.
Do you recharge your internal battery as often as you do your phone’s? I’m guilty too!
Whatever it is you decide to do, do it with confidence. Here are a few tips to scheduling your mental-health or self-care day:
Put it in the calendar! Block it off so nothing else can creep into your schedule. Call the babysitter or request the time off of work, if you work for someone else (and please always be mindful of giving your boss enough ample time for your request, if you’re choosing to take a day off that you typically work.)
Choose a destination. Maybe it’s your home, the woods, the beach, the lake or your backyard. For all of my free-spirited people who live life off of “the plan is no plan” - get in the car and just drive and see where the road takes you! Those types of trips are always exciting!
Bring a journal is you like to write, or that book you’ve been meaning to finish. Pack some healthy snacks and hydration and you’re off!
We need to care for our mental health more than we realize, since we live in a world where our attention is constantly being pulled at in every direction. Turn off the news, the social media, the radio… and just be.
Hope this helped! Yours in Wellness,
Meghan