Every month, I give a shot to mark off at least one weekend day as a No Plans Day.
During that day, I do what might otherwise be considered nothing; I read, I nap, maybe I rewatch a favorite movie or TV show, and I spend a lot of time staring into space and just, like, thinking.
If I dont get that kind of day on the schedule often enough, I feel itwhich is why I attempt to prioritize my No Plans Days as often as I can.
These kinds of days are what people tend to call mental health days, except I frame them as no plans days because the name makes it very clear whether or not Im actually taking one.
But putting them on the schedule proactivelyinstead of getting so bogged down in work and plans and obligations that I kind of end up taking a I cant do any more work this afternoon Thursday followed by a oh crap now I have to make up the work I didnt get done Saturdayhelps me stay even-keeled in a world that is constantly tipping us towards burnout.
SELF recently ran a post onhow to take a successful mental health day, and they also suggest planning your mental health days in advance:
In an ideal world, mental health days would be something you automatically work into your schedule to prevent you from getting to a place where you desperately need a break,
David Klow
, licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Chicagos Skylight Counseling Center, tells SELF.
Wed notice signs of work fatigue early and, instead of pushing through it, proactively take care of our mental health, including the occasional day off filled with restoration and
self-care
.
While some of us might have enough vacation time (or freelance flexibility) to take mental health days during our work week, planning mental health days in advance means you’re free to schedule them for days when you dont have to work.
That way you’re able to use your vacation time for anactual vacation, which is equally important to staving off burnout.
That said, if you need a mental health day that hasnt already been scheduled, you could absolutely use sick leave to cover itassuming you have sick leave, of course.
Its also worth noting that many mental health conditions cant be planned for in advance; depression and anxiety flare-ups happen, and sometimes you cant control when you better take some time off.
But if you’re free to block off a full day every month for mental health and self-care, get it on the calendar.
Because sometimes the best time to take a mental health day is before you’re gonna wanna take one.
