{"id":34201,"date":"2022-02-02T12:37:16","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T19:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/?p=34201"},"modified":"2022-02-02T12:37:16","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T19:37:16","slug":"mental-health-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re burned out from work, emotionally drained from a break-up, or just mentally exhausted, there are endless reasons why you might want (or need) a mental health day. In fact, you don\u2019t need any \u201creason\u201d at all. And while a day off isn\u2019t a bandage for larger issues surrounding mental health, it can give you the rest or space you desperately\u00a0<\/i>need\u2014if you do it right.<\/p>\n

But what is<\/em> the right way to spend a mental health day? That can be a bit tricky. You already know it\u2019s important to regularly partake in self-care<\/a>\u2014and no, you don\u2019t need to drop hundreds of dollars on spa treatments to do it\u2014but there\u2019s certainly a difference between getting lost in social media scrolling and taking time for more mindful practices.<\/p>\n

Here, we break down everything you need to know about mental health days\u2014from when to take them to how to ask for one to how to spend your much-deserved time off.<\/p>\n

When should you take a mental health day?<\/h2>\n

Treat your mental health days like vacations\u2014plan them out in advance as much as you can. Rather than waiting until you\u2019re at your breaking point, try setting aside one day per month to take care of yourself. Amber Benziger<\/a>, a psychotherapist based in New Jersey, says it\u2019s important to be proactive\u2014not reactive. \u201c[We should be] making it the norm, instead of something we\u2019re doing because we\u2019re being reactive to being really burnt out,\u201d she says. \u201cBecause if we get in a pattern and habitual state for ourselves of adding in that self-care, you\u2019ll [be] less likely to have that burn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depending on your situation, you may be able to take a day off from work or dedicate a weekend day to pampering yourself. However, if you\u2019re not able to take time off right now, that\u2019s OK! Benziger recommends spending a few hours in the evening doing something just for you. You don\u2019t need to dedicate a full day to self-care for it to positively benefit your mental health.<\/p>\n

See also: <\/em>Burned Out? You\u2019re Going to Need More Than a Bubble Bath to Bounce Back<\/a><\/p>\n

OK, but how\u00a0<\/em>do I ask my boss for a mental health day?<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the thing\u2014you don\u2019t have to. (Yes, really.) Benziger says when we\u2019re anxious, we feel as though we owe those around us an explanation. \u201cBut they\u2019re your [time off] days, you can use them however you want to use them,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, honestly an explanation isn\u2019t needed if you don\u2019t feel like you have that relationship with your management or your supervisor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still looking for some verbiage to use? Short and simple is best. \u201cIt could just be, \u2018Hey, I need Friday off, something has come up,’\u201d Benziger says. She also suggests communicating over email, which gives you space to send the message without an instant reaction from your supervisor.<\/p>\n

How should I spend a mental health day?<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, for us type-A planners, there\u2019s no standard guide for taking a mental health day. You should spend your day doing whatever you need or makes you feel good. Need to rest your body and lay on the couch all day? Totally fine. Want to head to brunch with a good friend? Also fine. Craving complete detachment from all other humans and want to roam the outdoors<\/a>? Cool with us.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having a hard time figuring out exactly what you needs, Benziger suggests asking yourself what you feel like you\u2019re currently lacking in your life\u2014and what makes you feel good. \u201cSo, really checking in with yourself and saying, \u2018What do I need in this moment?\u2019 and then allowing yourself to do that guilt-free,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of the time, when we do take that time off, and we feel like it\u2019s not productive, we kind of shame ourselves.\u201d Instead of scolding yourself for not running errands or crossing things off your never-ending to-do list, Benziger says you should view rest as something that is also<\/em> productive.<\/p>\n

Rest can feel unproductive because we aren\u2019t producing anything, she says. But rest comes with its own set of benefits. Benziger says focusing on yourself\u2014and what you need to do\u2014is the most helpful self-care tool in the long-term. So, that extra hour of sleep you\u2019re craving or that phone call to your best friend? This is your sign to go to do it. (Hey, it\u2019s for your health.)<\/p>\n

See also: <\/em>6 Simple Ways to Combat Your Seasonal Depression<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From deciding when to take a mental health day to how to spend it when you do, these strategies will leave you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"uuid":"a664119bfce35cb94d418feb26e3c6d3"},"categories":[128],"tags":[830],"byline":[2077],"ad_cat":[],"legacy-category":[],"acf":{"post_video":false,"iframe_hero":false,"add_square_crop":false,"longform":false,"sponsored":false,"membership_content":false,"post_incontent_cta_disable":false,"exclude_post":false,"table_of_contents":{"header":"","content_sections":false},"review_toggle":false,"pom_layout":false,"disable_ads":false,"disable_pre-roll_ads":false,"registered_content":false,"issue":false},"yoast_head":"\nMental Health Day: What You Need to Know About Intentional Time Off<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thinking about taking a mental health day? Here's what you need to know about when to take one, how to ask for one\u2014and how to spend it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thinking about taking a mental health day? Here's what you need to know about when to take one, how to ask for one\u2014and how to spend it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Better Nutrition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-take-a-mental-health-day.jpg?width=1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"colin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"colin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ada496352d989d76dde7ae8ec41d5aee\"},\"headline\":\"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\"},\"wordCount\":789,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Mental Health\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Mood & Stress\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\",\"name\":\"Mental Health Day: What You Need to Know About Intentional Time Off\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"Thinking about taking a mental health day? Here's what you need to know about when to take one, how to ask for one\u2014and how to spend it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Skin Care\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/tag\/skin-care\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/\",\"name\":\"Better Nutrition\",\"description\":\"Your ultimate resource for natural living\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Better Nutrition\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/better-nutrition-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/better-nutrition-logo.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":169,\"caption\":\"Better Nutrition\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ada496352d989d76dde7ae8ec41d5aee\",\"name\":\"colin\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/author\/colin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mental Health Day: What You Need to Know About Intentional Time Off","description":"Thinking about taking a mental health day? Here's what you need to know about when to take one, how to ask for one\u2014and how to spend it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day","og_description":"Thinking about taking a mental health day? Here's what you need to know about when to take one, how to ask for one\u2014and how to spend it.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/","og_site_name":"Better Nutrition","article_published_time":"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2400,"height":1350,"url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-take-a-mental-health-day.jpg?width=1200","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"colin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/"},"author":{"name":"colin","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ada496352d989d76dde7ae8ec41d5aee"},"headline":"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day","datePublished":"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/"},"wordCount":789,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["Mental Health"],"articleSection":["Mood & Stress"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/","name":"Mental Health Day: What You Need to Know About Intentional Time Off","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-02T19:37:16+00:00","description":"Thinking about taking a mental health day? Here's what you need to know about when to take one, how to ask for one\u2014and how to spend it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Skin Care","item":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/tag\/skin-care\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/","name":"Better Nutrition","description":"Your ultimate resource for natural living","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#organization","name":"Better Nutrition","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/","sameAs":[],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/better-nutrition-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/better-nutrition-logo.png","width":1200,"height":169,"caption":"Better Nutrition"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ada496352d989d76dde7ae8ec41d5aee","name":"colin","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/author\/colin\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/mood-stress\/mental-health-day\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-take-a-mental-health-day.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-take-a-mental-health-day.jpg"},"articleSection":"Mood & Stress","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"colin"}],"creator":["colin"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Better Nutrition","logo":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-bn_orangebg.png"},"keywords":["mental health"],"dateCreated":"2022-02-02T19:37:16Z","datePublished":"2022-02-02T19:37:16Z","dateModified":"2022-02-02T19:37:16Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"What You Need To Know About Taking a Mental Health Day\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betternutrition.com\\\/conditions-and-wellness\\\/mood-stress\\\/mental-health-day\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betternutrition.com\\\/conditions-and-wellness\\\/mood-stress\\\/mental-health-day\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betternutrition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/How-to-take-a-mental-health-day.jpg\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betternutrition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/How-to-take-a-mental-health-day.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Mood & Stress\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"colin\"}],\"creator\":[\"colin\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Better Nutrition\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betternutrition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/cropped-bn_orangebg.png\"},\"keywords\":[\"mental health\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-02T19:37:16Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/betternutrition.com\/p.js"},"new_scheduled_revision":null,"save_as_revision":null,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Yoga Journal","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com","push-errors":false,"dek":"","gallery_subhead":"","membership_content":false,"syndicated":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34201"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34293,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34201\/revisions\/34293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34201"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=34201"},{"taxonomy":"ad_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ad_cat?post=34201"},{"taxonomy":"legacy-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/legacy-category?post=34201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}