“I just feel like I haven’t had a break to just catch up on my sleep and relax. Even when I’m home I’m thinking about work, and the students, and my classes.” I lamented to my supervisor during our one on one meeting. I hadn’t had a day off since mid-July and it was November.
“Why don’t you take a day and turn off your phone and go to the beach.” She suggested
“I can’t do that! Something might happen in the building.” I responded immediately
“So what? I’ll be here, I can handle it.” She smiled and then wrote in her calendar that I had Friday off.
Now I don’t mean to brag about my awesome supervisor, but taking a day off for your Mental Health is still a new concept for many people in the workforce.
Mental Health Days are a growing trend, with companies like LinkedIn and Qlik Technologies offering different options to their employees, and yet in 2014, 42% of American’s didn’t utilize their vacation time at all.
So you may be asking, if they have the days off, why aren’t they using them?
Well reader, many American’s fear the outcome of their office learning how to function in their absence. They fear that utilizing vacation time will make them expendable. They can’t afford the pay cut or they simply can’t tune out the constant emails and calls to their phone.
Many like me, are just workaholics who are obsessed with their job.
So back to my Friday off. I woke up disoriented at the fact that my alarm didn’t go off and quickly rushed to get dressed before realizing I wasn’t going into the office. I threw on my swimsuit and headed out on an adventure, and as with any great adventure, I had to bring my friend along.
We went to the market, stocked up on snacks, and then got on the highway. It was about a 45 minute drive and we laughed and played music and we didn’t talk about work or answer emails or phone calls. Halfway to the ocean I realized that I didn’t even feel the need to check my phone or text my boss to make sure my hall was still standing.
We had an amazing time, ate fast food for lunch, drank on the beach, read our books, and just let ourselves breath for the first time since the summer.
I learned a lot while I was taking a page from Ferris Bueller, even though I wasn't singing Twist and Shout in a parade, and now I'm going to share that with you.
- Destressing is important: I had been running on empty for weeks, unable to sleep or eat on a normal schedule because I was so busy. I rarely have time to even go to the gym and run out the chaos of the day because I’m so ready to crash by 7pm. Not having a worry in the world felt so great and I cannot recommend finding this time enough.
- I’m ready to go back to work: I can’t wait for Monday morning because I know I’m going to be so productive and open with my staff. I feel healthy and refreshed and because of this, I’m going to be a better employee, which will in the end, make my supervisor happy.
- Nothing ended without me: I was shocked to find that my building was still standing but it turns out that the idea that I was carrying it on my shoulders was in my head all along. My supervisor is more than qualified to run things without me and sometimes I need to learn to let go and step back.
- I felt good about myself: I took a lot of cute beach selfies and I read a book for the first time in months and I got some vitamin D from the sun. It was such a great experience and I like myself a lot more because I made my mental health a priority.
- I had been holding in a lot: I had been working for approximately 4 months and 3 days with no days off. I had been holding other people’s sadness and stress inside so that they wouldn’t have to bear it. I had also been holding onto my own problems and personal issues. For one whole day, I didn’t let myself think about that, I just read and swam and laughed.
- Salt water can cure anything: Seriously, anything. The beach is always the answer. But if you can’t find a beach, a margarita is pretty damn close.
- I deserve days off: I am only one person. I cannot always empty my cup without refilling it. I am allowed to take breaks and care about myself and do things simply because I want to do them. I am allowed to be a human outside of my job. I know that I am irreplaceable at work, and one day in the sun is not going to change that fact.
My mental health is important to me and I plan on making this a trend so that I can be the best boss for my employees, and so that I can keep working hard when I’m not catching a wave.
