Health & Wellness

20 Signs You Need a Mental Health Day

January 18, 2023

In the past, mental health has been heavily stigmatized—just like Carla Benzanson talks about in “Serotonin? None for Me, Thanks.” from Don’t Think. Go to the bathroom, cry it out, wipe your tears, move on with your day. And if you wanna talk about therapy, self-care, or taking time for yourself? Forget about it, not happening. Fortunately, though, those days are OVER. In recent years, people are finally welcoming the idea of taking a step back, putting their mental health first, and embracing that sometimes? We just need a day.

Plus, now more than ever, life is demanding, it’s fast-paced, and it takes a LOT out of us. So… what if we told you that it’s totally okay to take a day for yourself? No expectations, no excuses, and no “on the edge of a crash-out emergencies”—just a day to relax because you want to. (Spoiler: you can—and “About Being… Gen Z” from Tell Me More talks about why.)

And then what if we told you that mental health breaks aren’t just good for your headspace, but good for your overall health and well-being, too. It’s true! And that’s exactly why we’re talking about it. Today, we’re diving into all of the telltale signs that YOU need a mental health day. And, don’t worry, we’ll also share a handful of things you do to rest, recover, and rejuvenate. Let’s take a beat and dedicate our energy towards something refreshing for a change!

20 Signs You Need a Mental Health Day

You’re no longer passionate about work or hobbies.
You’re unproductive.
People have voiced concern for your well-being.
You’re irritable or sad.
You’re always fatigued.
Sleep feels impossible, no matter how hard you try.
You have headaches all. the. time. (And they’re probably tension headaches—if we had to guess.)
Social group? Haven’t seem them or talked them in quite some time.
You’re stressed no matter what.
No matter how much you load up on vitamins, you’re constantly getting sick.
You find yourself indulging in unhealthy habits more and more.
As hard as you may try, you can’t concentrate on anything.
Stress and anxiety levels are going up even with your go-to self-care tools.
You have thoughts (or increased thoughts) of substance abuse. (Help IS available—visit SAMSHA.gov to learn more.)
Your environment starts replicating your mind—chaotic, confusing, and a little bit messy.
That “I’ll rest after this week” thought plays on a loop, and, to no surprise—you don’t.
You feel more forgetful or scatterbrained.
Feel like you’re sighing all day? You probably are.
You can’t remember the last time you did something just for fun.
You feel guilty for actually resting.

Benefits of Taking a Mental Health Day

Increase your productivity.

When you’re dealing with anxiety and depressive episodes due to burnout and poor mental health, you can’t be productive. Your lack of productivity leads to more bad feelings, and it’s an exhausting cycle. Plus, if you’re not being productive at work, your lack of productivity could result in disciplinary action by management that’s totally unnecessary. And, you guessed it! You start feeling overwhelmed, which will make you feel even worse.

Really, you just need a break. Your inability to focus is because your mind hasn’t gotten any time to recharge. Taking a mental health day can give you a huge productivity boost. It gives your mind a chance to rest and prepare again for the tasks ahead!

Want a guide on doing more with less stress? Check out THIS episode of DITL where Pia Mance tells us how to delegate tasks and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Fall back in love with what you do.

If nobody’s told you this, you don’t just deserve a mental health day from work. Sometimes, sh*t is hard—in friendships, romance, family relationships, responsibilities—everything. That said, when you’re juggling all of that once, you can slowly lose interest in… everything.

When you take a mental health day, you can reflect on the past, present, and future of your things. Not to mention, there’s nothing a little rest and lack of to-dos can’t fix. Then, when you return to “normal life,” you can go with a reignited passion!

And, if you need a boost of encouragement, listen to “Sister Chat: Lost Your Spark?” from I’m Fun Now! Sazan Hendrix gives us a heart-to-heart for all of those “What now?” moments that we all need.

Gain clarity.

We all lose sight of our purpose from time to time. We need a sense of meaning in our lives to really feel whole and content. However, when you’re in that day-after-day grind of work and sleep? It can feel like your life has no meaning or forward momentum.

With a mental health day, you can put work down and really focus on the future. What do you want to be? Who do you want to become? When your body is well cared for and you have your goal in mind, you’ll start feeling accomplished and satisfied with your life again!

Him & Her Show has JUST the episode for this. Tune into “What to Do When You Feel Lost in Life.” Powerful duo, Lauryn and Michael, always come in hot with the expert-backed tips and reasonable advice.

Reconnect with your support system.

Another huge benefit of mental health days is reconnecting with those you love. When you’re busy and mentally drained, you may only be connecting with your family and friends via social media.

And, honestly, this isn’t super genuine. So when you take a mental health day, you can meet up with these people IRL. In person, your support system can encourage you, fill your social bar, and remind you how much they care. It’s a wonderful feeling that fuels your positive mental health!

How to Take a Mental Health Break

So, when you take a mental health day, what are you supposed to do? It’s best not to focus too much on a list of tasks, but instead, focus on what will make you feel good. Remember, how you feel matters! (Listen to Nicole Walters talk about this here.)

On your mental health break, do what you love and create healthy habits. Rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul with activities that just feel amazing! We have some ideas below, but make sure to read our post “Ways to Improve Your Mental Health,” too!

Do meditative workouts.

Mediative workouts calm your mind and charge your body. They’re suuuuper helpful for returning to a stable mental state! In fact, exercise and meditation increase oxygen and blood flow to your brain, which forms new brain cells. This helps you focus AND betters your overall mood.

And, lucky for you, we have a plethora of resources to help with this. For easy-to-read info, check out “How Long Should I Meditate to Develop a Daily Habit?” and “Gabby Bernstein’s Guided Meditation for Connecting with the Universe.” Looking for episodes to listen to while you unwind and relax? Tune into…

Express yourself creatively.

We were all born with gifts and talents. If you have a creative gift, it can be easy to push that aside in favor of more practically productive tasks. However, doing creative things is great for your mind! It helps you express yourself and achieve a more self-confident and joyful mindset!

So, on your mental health day, get out the paints or start typing that novel. Who knows, maybe practicing your creative talents will give you the sense of purpose you’ve been missing! If you’ve never really considered what your gifts are, check out the episode, “How to Discover Your Human Design & Recognize the Gifts You Were Born With” from the Skinny Confidential’s Him & Her podcast.

Hit the spa.

Do we really need to tell you why you should go to the spa on your mental health day? It’s the ultimate self-care experience! Whether you like a deep tissue massage or a polishing pedicure, getting to the spa will remind you your body and mind are worth taking care of! Also, speaking of self-care… Make sure to check out “The Beauty Trends That Do (and Don’t) Work” for more inspo!

Sleep in!

There is nothing wrong with sleeping in, especially on your personal health day. Sleeping in isn’t just a good way of treating yourself, but it has lots of benefits for your body and mind! When you sleep, you strengthen your immune system, better your mood, boost focus, and you gain more patience for people. (We all need that!)

Get some extra shut-eye, and learn more about the benefits of sleep with Dr. Will Cole from The Art of Being Well. He has a few episodes on sleep, but the one titled “The Minimum Method for a Stronger, Healthier, Happier You” has some really practical advice perfect for your mental health break. Also, “The Importance of a Beautiful Vibe with Pia Baroncini” from DITL is another fantastic resource.

Clean up your house.

Mess and clutter has a real impact on your mental health. It can be distracting and anxiety-inducing. Plus, the overwhelming nature of the task of cleaning can lead to some unhealthy coping and avoidance tactics. Things like watching a lot of TV, eating too much junk food, or sleeping too often can stem from a messy house.

Letting go of clutter and cleaning up on a day off can do wonders on your mental health. It can make you feel accomplished and motivate you to conquer even more! Walking back into work with a strong sense of achievement will definitely make you more productive. Plus, the more peaceful living space will ensure your home stays a relaxing oasis.

Get organized.

Of course, you need to get THINGS organized, but it’s a good idea to organize your mind too! Come up with some systems and processes that will help you maintain your mental health, productivity levels, and mood.

Developing a routine, creating morning/evening rituals, writing out your schedule, developing a meal plan, laying out prepared outfits, and creating a command center are all great ways to get organized and reduce day-to-day stress.

Get outside.

Part of the reason you may be feeling like there’s a dark cloud hanging over you is because you haven’t actually seen the clouds! You’ve been stuck inside working or sleeping, and your body is just begging you to get out.

So, get outside on your mental health day. Take a walk. Read on the porch. Garden. Or, head to a local park or zoo. Just find a way to get some vitamin D. That sunlight can improve immunity, focus, mood, sleep, and more!

Meet up with people you love.

Don’t stay in alone all day. Instead, spend time with family members and friends to re-establish your connection and rebuild your support system. Their company will bring you joy, and remembering who you have in your corner will give you strength as you head back to the grind.

Binge a podcast.

Podcasts are the perfect mental health day experience! Not only can you gain deeper insights into your mental health or any other topic you’re passionate about, but you can do it while cleaning, driving, exercising, or resting! Multi-task and feel fulfilled at the end of your break by adding podcasts to the mix. There are plenty out there to suit your taste!

Attend appointments and run errands you’ve been putting off.

When your levels of stress are through the roof, you’re focused on surviving. You are NOT focused on taking care of your body. Suddenly, doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, insurance calls, hair cuts, and other things just get dropped to the bottom of the to-do list and NEVER happen.

Scheduling your appointments will make you feel accomplished and it’ll set a precedent for how you’ll take care of yourself in the future. No more skipping! When you attend appointments, schedule the next one right away. And, if you run an errand like grocery shopping, picking up the dry cleaning, etc, immediately plan when you’ll do that task again! This way, you won’t miss it and it will quickly become a positive habit!

Need more advice on this? The Wellness Process has just the thing. Tune into “How to Glow Up Habits, Mindset, & Energy Without Overhauling Your Entire Life with Mimi Bouchard.”

Enjoy a digital detox day.

When it comes to taking a personal day, things should be ALLLL about you. Your health, your energy, and your happiness. One of the best ways to do that? Digital detoxes. Turn off notifications, mute your phone, and enjoy the day—social-free. This is actually extremely powerful—just listen to “Abe’s Psychedelic Transformation + Harnessing Trickster Energy” from Come Together. People are LITERALLY paying to detox from technology.

Even if you decide to do this for a short period of time (we get it!), it could still be suuuuper beneficial for your mental health. And if you’re going through a stressful situation—all the more reason to silence and self-care. Separate yourself from whatever’s overwhelming you—it’ll be much easier to come back to it later on.

Plan micro-adventures close to home.

Feeling burned out? Take the day to explore! It doesn’t have to be far or extravagant—it could literally just be a new coffee shop a town over. Or, you could go on a hike somewhere you’ve never been. Get out of your comfort zone and see what’s out there to enjoy! (Or you could go paragliding, like Jon Volk talked about on What We Said.

If you do have the time to, though, we definitely recommend planning a staycation somewhere nice. (AKA, maybe you took your mental health day on a Friday and have the weekend to play with.) Whether that’s a hotel in your state’s major city or a flight to a totally different state, it’ll leave you feeling refreshed, energized, and totally renewed.

Create a vision board to spark some inspiration.

Vision boards are everything when you want long-term inspo. Job weighing you down and you’re ready for a change? Create a vision board for it. Dealing with a mental health issue that you’re ready to get clarity on? Vision board it. Struggling with behavioral health and tired of never feeling like “yourself?” You know what we’re gonna say.

A vision board is a way to bring your dreams and aspirations to life. Plus, there’s something super powerful about putting pen to paper, essentially. You drag the ideas out of your head and slap them somewhere you can actually see and envision.

On the fence about it? We get it. Check out “How to Create a Vision Board That Actually Works” and “How to Make a Vision Board for Manifestation.” Then, tune into “2025 VISION BOARD” from What We Said for all of the hottest tips, tricks, and advice.

Write a letter to the future “you.”

When was the last time you took a mental health day?

Taking a mental health day is anything but selfish. In order to stay effective in every area of your life, you need to take a break. Though mental health support can be hard to come by, you DESERVE to take a day to manage your headspace. So, take a second to breathe, enjoy your time off, and remember: you don’t have to have a total reason for wanting a personal day. You earned it.

We’re not only here to remind you how important mental health days are. We have tons of actionable, easy-to-apply advice over on the Dear Media blog! Anything we haven’t directly covered in a post, we guarantee one of our incredible podcast hosts have talked about it in an episode. And, of course, don’t forget to stay updated on the DM shop! We’re constantly dropping new, exclusive pieces (like this “Resilience” Tee!) that you won’t wanna miss out on. Catch ya in the next post!