Mental health days are growing in popularity today, and for good reason. They are very helpful in refueling your tired and burnt out mind, and help you create better decisions. But even with its outburst in social media, you may still be left wondering—what is a mental health day? Why are they important? What do I do during them? And how do I know I need one? These are very valid questions, and can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Fret not, my friend, because you have come right where you need to be. Here is your ultimate guide to mental health days, as a teen.
What Are They?
Mental health days, as the name suggests, are just a day for your mental health. It’s a time for you to rest yourself and mind, to help recover from the overwhelming stress you might be facing. You deliberately take this day to keep your mind off of your schoolwork, extracurriculars, and chores. Instead, you can spend all your time focusing on doing what makes you feel good. Unfortunately, with the lifestyle many of us have, doing what makes us happy isn’t always possible. Finishing work takes priority. Mental health days could serve as one of those days you can forget about what you have to do and just do what you want to do.
Why Are They Important?
The first thing you need to know in your guide to mental health days is what they do for you. As you can imagine, there are countless reasons why mental health days are important. They are just so beneficial for mental health, especially in a society where your livelihood and success often comes at the cost of your wellbeing. Here are a few reasons mental health days are important:
- Prevents Burnout – Burnout often occurs when you are overworked and stressed. It leads you to be completely emptied of your abilities. Mental health days can help stop this from happening by giving you a break from your work.
- Improves Emotional Regulation – Us teens are already prone to emotional outbursts due to our developmental process. The stressors of modern day life doesn’t make it any easier. Mental health days allow you to stay in calm and stress-free environments. This allows you to have full control of your emotions and reactions
- Boosts Academic Performance – Taking a break from doing schoolwork can actually be more beneficial than doing it. Mental health days allow you that break. You can return to your academics with a fresh, less-stressed mind.
- Strengthens Relationships – Your activities and hustle takes time away from everything else in your life, including your loved ones. You need to maintain these relationships for your own mental wellbeing. Taking a mental health day allows you to connect with your friends and family, and keep those relations.
- Encourages Healthy Life Choices – Hey, let’s be real here. The stuff you have to do is a lot, and you turn to some pretty bad habits as a result. A mental health day will help you reflect on these habits, and start a healthier routine. You’ll be a lot happier in the long-run.
These are the 5 most important reasons mental health days are beneficial. Do you want to learn more about the benefits? Then, make sure to check out our article on why mental health days are important! This article goes through every one of these in great detail, for you to have a full understanding of how great mental health days can be.
Steps to Taking a Mental Health Day
So, we’re onto section number two of your guide to mental health days—how to take them. Here are the 4 easy steps to taking a mental health day:
- Find a date – Of course, like any other event, you need a date for your mental health day. It’s best to schedule one in advance, taking note of the upcoming assignments, tests, competitions, or anything more.
- Talk to adults in advance – Unfortunately, you are still a teenager under your parents’ control. You have to be sure they are onboard with your mental health day idea to make it follow through. You also have to make sure you talk to your school about it to have your potential absence excused. Are you scared your parents may never agree? Then, you have to check out our article on how to tell your parents you need a mental health day!
- Plan your day – You have to have some sort of set up for your mental health day. Take activities that make you happy, and lose them down to do for your day. There’s no need for a clear-cut schedule, maybe a free form to-do list might be what you need.
- Enjoy your day! -That’s all you have to do now. Make sure this mental day was worth every step!
These are great instructions to follow for your mental health day, especially if you’re planning one soon. But, this may not be enough information for you. If so, make sure to check out our article on the steps to taking a mental health day. It goes very in depth on every step so you feel even more prepared for your mental health day!
What to Do During Your Mental Health Day
So, now you have the why you should take a mental health day, and your formulaic steps to taking one. That’s half way through your guide to a mental health day, already covered! But what exactly do you do on a mental health day, now that you’ve planned it? Here are some ideas on activities to do during your mental health day:
- Get some sleep – You’re not getting enough sleep, and you know it. Use your mental health day as a day to catch up on your very much missing sleep.
- Go outside – Spending time in fresh air is always going to be great for your mental health, especially when you’ve been cooped up in your house for most of the time. Use your mental health day to take a walk or go to the park just to enjoy nature.
- Try journaling – Journaling your thoughts is incredible for your mental health, as I’ve explained in my article on journaling. Try it out during your mental health day to help reflect on your emotions, and build a healthy habits for the future.
- Do creative activities – Creativity exercises your mind in the best ways. With all the work you have to do, you might not have time to practice your creativity. Whether it’s writing, sketching, or dancing, practicing your creativity is an incredible activity to have for your mental health day.
- Practice meditation – Meditation helps greatly with calming and relaxing your mind, making it an amazing practice for your mental health. Meditate during your mental health day so you can have a sharper mind for the future.
- Socialize with friends and family – We need relationships as human beings, but maintaining them may be hard with your day to day life. Use your mental health day to spend time with your friends and family to strengthen your relationships for now and the rest of your life.
- Set goals – It can be hard to have a good schedule when you already have so many things going on. But remember, keeping yourself organized and taking care of your health is essential for your wellbeing. Mental health days can be a time to build new healthy habits so you can keep that going for the rest of your days.
These are all incredible activities for your mental health, and you should definitely consider adding them into your schedule. However, this list is not quite as in depth as you might like, and doesn’t give you much more ideas than you might like. If you need some more guidance, make sure to check out our article on activities to do during your mental health day.
Signs You Should Take a Mental Health Day
Last but not least in your guide to a mental health day, you need to know when to take a mental health day. We always like to think we’re totally fine, and don’t need anything special like a mental health day. Just some time. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. So here are some signs you need to consider taking a mental health day:
- Burnout – Experiencing burnout is a sure sign you need a break. Working yourself to the point the stress has exhausted you is most definitely not good, and taking a mental health day to forget those stressors and help you out of the pit of burnout.
- Mood swings – Mood swings are pretty normal for teenagers due to out hormonal imbalances, but if it gets extreme and excessive, you might need some off time. You can use a mental health day to regulate your emotions and get rid of those terrible mood swings.
- Unproductivity – Unfortunately, overworking yourself only makes you less productive, which is the exact opposite of what you were intending to do. If you find yourself not getting work done when you definitely should’ve, start thinking about taking a mental health day. A good rest for your brain will help it come back fresh, and in turn, more productive.
- Unhealthy habits – The stressful life many of us deal with unfortunately forces some us into unhealthy habits. It may seem a lot easier, but practicing these bad habits will only be detrimental to you over time. Taking a mental health day can help you develop healthier habits for the future, and your unhealthy habits are a good sign to take that mental health day.
- No time for what you like – Doing what you love is what you really want to do with your life. However, our society tends to strip us of that enjoyment. With a mental health day, you can do what you love, and what truly makes you happy. You could even find ways to practice it in your day to day life.
These are signs you should really look out for, even if you think you don’t need a mental health day, But, you might be a little unsure if you really fit these signs, and might need some examples or extra information. If that’s what you need, you have to read our article on the signs you need a mental health day.
Signs You Do NOT Need a Mental Health Day
Mental health days are great, of course. You now that from reading this article so far. However, sometimes, it’s not really the solution you need. Sometimes, you need the exact opposite of one. Here are some signs that you do not need a mental health day:
- Burnout – You saw this reason up on the list of signs you need a mental health day. Well, the opposite is also true. If you don’t experience stress and burnout, then you probably don’t need a mental health day, at least not for now.
- Important Events – If you have a lot of important things coming up, it’s probably not a good idea to get yourself a mental health day any time soon. Wait for those important things to be over before you take a rest day.
- Bad Study Habits – I know I said one of the signs you might need a mental health day is dropping grades. However, that’s only if you are studying hard for those grades and not getting them. If you aren’t studying for them, then a mental health day isn’t what you need. You just need better study habits.
- Many Absences – If you’re absent a lot, then taking another leave might not be the decision for you. Being out of school more than you should be, and for no legitimate reason, isn’t really a sign you need a break. it’s more of a sign you need stop taking breaks and start doing your work.
- Too Much Free Time – Do you come back from school and flop onto the bed, doom-scrolling through TikTok for the rest of the day? Well, that means a mental health day is not what you need. What you need is a schedule for productivity, and some more activities to occupy your time. Rest and a mental health day is something for another day.
These signs are important for you know if you’re considering a mental health day, especially if you’re unsure if you are in need of one. However, these brief descriptions may be too vague, and confusing for you. Make sure to read our article on why you shouldn’t take a mental health day. It goes in depth on the signs we’ve discussed here, as well as the alternative solutions that would work better for you than a mental health day.
Conclusion
Mental health days are incredible, but might seem a little impossible or confusing for someone who doesn’t know too much about them. Well, if you were feeling like that, you have no need to worry. Now, you have a full guide to a mental health day that you can reference at any time you want. So, what are you waiting for? Take that mental health day your mental health has been craving!
