About To Break Down? Here Are 7 Signs You Need A Mental Health Day
The grind is real. And most of the time, it can get too real; to the point where our bodies have to tell us, it's time to chill for a day. But typically, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated without a relief in sight isn't the first sign that we need a break. This is especially true when it comes to our mental status.
Taking a mental health day doesn't mean you're lazy or don't appreciate the value of the hustle. It just means that you value your emotional state and will do what you need to in order to keep it intact. And you don't have to wait until you have a breakdown to do it. Instead, keep in mind these signs that you need a mental health day:
7 Signs You Need A Mental Health Day
1.You’re Consistently Unmotivated and Uninspired
Doing the same thing day in and day out, day by day can get really unmotivating. Whether you're an entrepreneur or working your dream 9-5, it's really easy to feel like you're caught in the rat race as you face one mundane day after another. The solution could be to take a mental health day.
Take a day to do something you enjoy that will reignite your passions, or just watch a funny movie to get back up in high spirits. Then, when you go back to your responsibilities, you'll be renewed, refreshed, and restored, ready for what the day will bring as well as ideas on how to spice it up.
2.You’re All Over The Place
If you notice you have a recent pattern of misplacing things, forgetting appointments and responsibilities, and just feel like you can't focus or complete a task in a timely manner, a mental health day is in order. You can use this day to get back on track and create a schedule, a calendar, or whatever you need to not just remember things, but see them coming so you don't feel overwhelmed.
Create a new habit of looking at your calendar the night before to get prepared and fill in anything you might have missed. Whatever you do, take a day to plan, budget, and get yourself intact mentally, to prevent an inevitable breakdown in the future.
3.You Make Rash Decisions
From going too far during a day of retail therapy to channeling your inner Sanaa Lathan on Nappily Ever After – making a drastic change at the drop of a hat can be a hint that you could use a good old mental health day.
It's like you're trying to find some type of relief, and all you can think of is to buy more clothes when in reality, you need a mental break. I know it's so much easier said than done but taking it can make a world of a difference.
4.You’re On Edge
We've all had moments when we're sitting on ready waiting for someone to say something so we can react with no filter. At times, it gets so bad that we misunderstand what someone is really saying just so we have an excuse to react and let out emotions that have been building up over time.
When you feel like you can go off on any given person at any given minute, it might be time to take a mental health day sis. Relax with a massage, a hot bath, a book, or all of the above! Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life and just getting back to you and who you really are can do wonders.
5.You’re Fatigued But Can’t Sleep
…Or you sleep more than usual. Getting off of your sleep cycle regularly can serve as evidence that you need an entire day to focus on staying mentally healthy. When we're exhausted, we tend to get more stressed, which can ironically prevent us from getting the sleep we need.
It's this ugly cycle that we have to be intentional about escaping. Whether you need to just take a day to sleep in or a day to let your body get its much-needed rest, you can't be good to anyone, including yourself, without taking in a mental health day.
6.What Weekend?
Listen, there might be this ongoing joke that Mondays are the worst, but when you feel like you didn't get a break over the weekend and feel overwhelmed just thinking about the week you're about to jump into, you need a mental health day. It's okay if the weekend didn't do the trick. Sometimes we need to take an actual day off of work to get back on track. And you shouldn't feel bad about it.
If you need regular mental health days, Mondays might be bae in that area. If that's completely unrealistic with your job, see if you can at least work from home on one day a week to regroup.
7.You Get Sick
This one might seem a little extreme, but it also might be the way your body is telling you that you need rest. I actually experienced this when I was up for a promotion. I was already super stressed out and afraid to tell my boss that I threw up and needed to go home because I was afraid I wouldn't get the job. I ended up telling her I needed a day, and she was understanding (and I still got the job).
Still, even if no one else looks out for you, you have to look out for yourself. How well can you do your job or run your business if you're not mentally healthy? Being team no sleep might sound great, but it's even more notable when you take care of yourself from the inside out.
Featured image by Getty Images
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Charmaine Patterson is a journalist, lifestyle blogger, and a lover of all things pop culture. While she has much experience in covering top entertainment news stories, she aims to share her everyday life experiences, old and new, with other women who can relate, laugh, and love along with her. Follow Char on Twitter @charjpatterson, Instagram @charpatterson, and keep up with her journey at CharJPatterson.com .
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Tyler James Williams Explains Why His And Quinta Brunson 'Abbott Elementary' Characters Should Remain Friends
While Abbott Elementary fans are hoping that Janine and Gregory end up together, the show’s star has another take. Tyler James Williams plays Gregory on the Emmy award-winning sitcom, and he recently stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share his point of view on his storyline with Janine, which Quinta Brunson plays.
“I hate to say it. I know that everybody’s always mad at me for this. I don’t necessarily want to see them together,” he revealed. “It’s partially an actor’s choice, but also somebody who, like, I read a lot of scripts all the time. I watch a lot of TV, a lot of film. I don’t think that we see displays of platonic love between two people often. I think it’s really easy to go right to they have feelings for each other, therefore they should be together. I like this dynamic of exploring withholding that and just actively loving each other where they are. That I like to see more.”
If you recall, they were co-workers who became friends but were secretly crushing on each other. They’ve had many awkward run-ins during and after school, like the unforgettable club scene where they were dancing nervously with each other in season one, and in season two, they finally kiss. However, it only made things even more awkward, and they decided to just be friends. Tyler further explained why he thinks it’s important to showcase that type of relationship on screen.
“I think it’s time for that. I think TV allows people to see things that could be their lives for the first time, and I think seeing a healthy friendship that is deeply caring about one another in a work atmosphere needs to be shown more than the relationship,” he concluded.
Abbott Elementary comes on every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
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Feature image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images