Everyone has had those days where you feel too sick to get out of bed to go to work, school, or attend events. We commonly give an exception for being physically ill to the point of not getting out of bed...but what do we do when we mentally cannot get out of bed? Most people would just "push" through that feeling and try their best to be productive despite a hinderance in their mentality. The thing is, it is not okay to push your mental health to the side and ignore how you feel.
So, what exactly is a "mental health" day? The definition of a "mental health" day differs from person to person. Some people may count a mental health day as staying home in bed and not doing anything, some may take a literally mental health day and go talk to a therapist/psychiatrist, or some people may take a mental health day to catch up on personal tasks or to help ease their burnout from overworking. Whatever someone's reason is for taking a mental health day, it is absolutely valid. If someone feels like they can no longer work or function at an appropriate level with how they are feeling, then it should be okay for them to take a break to rejuvenate themselves.
According to NAMI, "Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (46.6 million) experience mental illness in a given year" and "approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. (11.2 million) experience a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities."
If so many people are affected by mental health illnesses, why are we not treating them the same as our physical illnesses? This is a very controversial topic, as many people do not believe that mental health is of the utmost importance, but then again, society makes us feel like it isn't as important as our physical health.
Another reason that people do not take mental health days seriously is for the guilt that employers, professors/teachers, and friends/family put on them. Often times people feel guilty calling off of work if it's for their mental health. It truly is sad that we live in a society that makes us feel GUILTY for taking a single day off for mental health reasons. This also applies to all other situations and people who guilt others for taking care of their mental health needs.
People also do not take mental health days due to the belief that mental health days are just for those who live with a diagnosed mental illness. The truth is that mental health days aren't just for those who have mental illnesses, they are for every single person that is experiencing poor mental health. As my friend Desmine once said, "everyone has mental health," meaning that you do not need a mental illness to suffer from bad mental health days.
A final reminder to those who have taken a mental health day or may have to take a mental health day in the future...just because you take a mental health day does not make you any less of a person and you are completely valid in taking a day to rejuvenate. The stigma of taking a mental health day is slowly diminishing but does still exist. I encourage you to fight through the stigma and believe that your mental health triumphs over that stigma every single day you choose to put your well-being first.
