- Even if you're not burnt out, it's important to take the occasional mental health day.
- Mental health days are proven to boost mental wellbeing and productivity.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues like burnout and work-life balance became impossible to ignore. Correspondingly, people left their jobs in droves as part of the Great Resignation.
As a result, more and more people — including employers and school administrators — are seeing the value in mental health days, even offering them as perks built right into the job.
A mental health day is a day away from work or school — or even just a day spent away from the routine and the overwhelming pressures of everyday life.
Unlike a traditional sick day, which focuses on physical health, a mental health day has the purpose of relaxing or refreshing the mind.
Research shows that when we take time to destress and decompress, it boosts not just our mental health, but our productivity, too. Some experts suggest taking them once a month, or as needed.
Examples of mental health day activities might include taking a walk or hike, journaling, getting a massage, and more.
Ahead, therapists share a range of ideas for how to make the most of your mental health days.
Exercise outdoors (if possible)
This doesn't have to be strenuous physical exercise — but some movement is key, says Michelle Felder, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and founder of Parenting Pathfinders.
"Move your body in a way that you enjoy — walk, run, dance, swim, stretch, bend – whatever way of moving your body is accessible to you, feels good to you, and is enjoyable to you, do it," she says. "Movement can help to boost our mood, increase our energy level, and improve confidence."
If possible, get your movement outdoors — especially in a natural environment. Being in nature reduces what can be an overwhelming number of sources of stimulation — like traffic, sirens, and droves of passersby — and this calmer atmosphere allows the brain to reset.
Regardless, brief periods of indoor or outdoor exercise can meaningfully change your mindset. Bethany Cook, licensed clinical psychologist and author, explains that "physical exercise releases dopamine which elevates mood."
Spend time with friends
"Being around someone you care for can cause the body to release happy hormones, which combat stress hormones," Cook says.
That might explain why research shows that friendships can benefit both mental and physical health.
So, on your next mental health day, consider spending some time with a close friend or group of friends that make you feel supported.
Write in a journal
Felder advises using a mental health day to take time to reflect on recent challenges.
You could, for example, write in a journal to help you identify and understand your feelings on a particular issue, which can in turn help support healing or get clarity, Felder says.
"This process of tuning in to our emotions — without judging them — opens the door for us to practice self-compassion," she says. And this "can be a useful and effective tool to help decrease stress, improve our positive feelings, and greatly impact our mental health."
Best guided journals
If a blank page seems intimidating, use one of the best guided journals to help channel your thoughts.
- Most well-rounded: The Best Journal Ever - See at Amazon
- Best for anxiety management: "No Worries" by Bella Mente Press - See at Amazon and Bookshop
- Best for daily work: The Five Minute Journal - See at Amazon and Intelligent Change
- Most creative: "Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal" by Kara Cutruzzula and Tessa Forrest - See at Amazon and Bookshop
Create something
"Research has shown that engaging in a creative task can offer mental health benefits similar to meditating," Felder explains.
And you don't have to be a serious crafter to find joy in creating something.
"Creating something can help reduce stress and improve our mental health because it allows us to focus our attention on what's happening in the present moment, and it provides an opportunity to help regulate our emotions while we're doing something that we enjoy," Felder says.
This logic applies to all creative activities — so it can help you whether you're interested in building furniture, writing songs, painting, or in nearly any mode of making new things.
Read a book
While exercising is one way to improve mental health, rest can also have positive mental health effects and help reduce stress — and that's the main point of taking a mental health day.
That's why Cook recommends spending part of a mental health day relaxing in bed or on the couch reading books. Doing this, she says, "allows your body to remain in a calm and relaxed physical state, the mind is given a vacation from reality."
Complement this rest with a period of cardiovascular exercise to get the benefits of both in a balanced mental health day.
Tackle a big-picture goal
Cook underscores the importance of not spending a mental health day doing the same old tasks you always do.
"Mental health days are not catch-up days even if they relieve anxiety," she says.
Scurrying around doing errands is generally the opposite of what you need on a mental health day.
Nevertheless, "it can be incredibly satisfying and beneficial to your mental health to get things done that you've been wanting to do," Felder suggests — especially when that something is a psychically satisfying milestone or a big-picture goal rather than a trip to the grocery store.
Maybe it's starting with the first page of a novel you've always wanted to write, or reconnecting with an important person in your life.
"Be sure to avoid spending your day running from one thing to another, but strive to strike a balance between the time spent being productive and the time spent just being," Felder says.
Declutter
Tidying up might seem like a daunting chore — the type of thing to avoid on a mental health day.
But unlike daily errands, decluttering can be a soothing activity for a mental health day because it can unburden the mind and lighten the mood.
"The process of decluttering and moving things out of your space can be cleansing, calming, and stress reducing," Felder says. "Cleaning our living space has been shown to reduce anxiety, help improve our ability to focus, reduce fatigue, and create a satisfying sense of accomplishment, which can boost our mood, confidence, and overall mental health."
Insider's takeaway
Taking a mental health day means taking time away from work, school, or other responsibilities of daily life to reset and recharge your emotional wellbeing.
The benefits of this can relax the mind, reduce stress, and even boost productivity (not to mention joy).
Activities like exercise, journaling, connecting with a friend, decluttering, and spending time in nature are all activities that can nourish mental health and better prepare you to return to everyday life.
The precise balance between rest and vigor that works best is up to you, and the ideal mental health day will look different for everyone. "It could be calm and relaxing, or it could be thrilling and exciting," as long as it fills you up in a meaningful way, Cook says.