The work culture in this country is broken. Employees are expected to constantly be on top form and work all hours under the sun just to prove themselves worthy of their role. Of course, this isn’t to say that hard work is a bad thing. It’s an important aspect of personal development, and it gives us pride in our accomplishments. However there is such a thing as working too hard.
Many of us work ourselves down to the ground, so much so that 70% of us won’t take a sick day, even when we really need one. But taking time off is really important — not just for our physical health, but our mental health too. 74% of us have reported feeling overwhelmed by stress in the course of a year. And as the pandemic has wreaked havoc on our mental health, this figure is only going to rise. So make sure to give yourself a mental health break. You deserve one, and they have plenty of benefits too.
You’ll Become More Productive
When our mental health suffers, our productivity does too. This will likely come as no surprise to you. On bad mental health days, completing the smallest of tasks can feel like climbing Everest. There’s no one reason for why productivity slumps when our mental health is suffering — it’s a cocktail of symptoms which affect our ability to work.
Firstly, poor mental health can completely deplete us of energy, both in our mind and our body. Producing top quality work — or any work at all — feels impossible when you can’t bring yourself to get out of bed. Bad mental health makes us worry too. We worry we’re not doing a good enough job, we worry that we’re not working fast enough or hard enough. And when we worry, we’re more likely to procrastinate. Because when we put off doing our work, we can’t make mistakes. Poor mental health is bad news for employers too. In the UK alone, mental health issues cost employers a whopping £26 billion per year, equating to over £1000 per employee.
Fortunately, there is a simple way to improve both our productivity and mental health: take a break. This goes for both small breaks in the workday and whole days off. By taking frequent breaks throughout the day, you’re more likely to keep your mind active. Your brain isn’t built to work for hours at a time, so taking breaks every hour helps keep your mind fresh and active. This is especially important for people who suffer from poor mental health, who often lack motivation. By cutting the workday into small and manageable chunks, it makes it far easier to get through it. And when we take a full day off, we give ourselves even more time to relax and recover. After spending a full day resting our mind and looking after ourselves, we’re far more likely to return to work feeling energised and ready to produce our best work.
Your Work Relationships Will Improve
Do you ever smile and nod along when your colleague tells you about their weekend, wishing that they’d leave because you’re completely drained? Or maybe you want to strike up a conversation with the new employee, but the fear of you stumbling over your words and embarrassing yourself puts you off. You’re definitely not alone in this. When your mental health takes a turn for the worse, your relationships tend to do the same. You may find yourself struggling to communicate, or feeling too mentally fatigued to socialise with others. As much as you may want to find someone to blame for this, it isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s just a by-product of your illness. So rather than wasting your time and energy blaming yourself or others, you should instead focus your efforts on building these relationships back up again. It’s definitely worth it, since having strong bonds with your colleagues is beneficial for both your mental health and your career.
By taking a mental health day, you’re actually helping your colleagues too. When you come back to work feeling refreshed and motivated, your work performance will undoubtedly improve. This means any group projects you’re working on will improve too, and you’ll show your colleagues that you’re a reliable hard worker. You’re also likely to be in a far better mood after your break. Poor mental health can make you irritable and frustrated, but after having a day’s rest you’ll likely return to work with a positive outlook. This is something that your colleagues will notice, so they’ll feel far more comfortable when approaching you, and vice versa. So take a day off and allow your colleagues to see past your mental illness. Let them get to know you for who you really are.
You Can Improve Your Physical Health Too
It isn’t just your mind that could do with a mental health day. Your physical health can greatly benefit from your day of rest, depending on how you use it. It’s no secret that our mental health has a significant impact on our physical health, and vice versa. People with mental health disorders may experience a number of physical symptoms, including migraines, nausea, digestive issues and trouble sleeping. And poor mental health can even weaken the immune system too, which leads us to take more sick days throughout the year. So to look after your body and protect your career, take a mental health day.
But remember that not all mental health days are created equal. Just taking a day off won’t necessarily cut it — you need to use this time to look after yourself in the best way you can. There’s no one-size-fits-all day, since everyone has a different approach to their mental health. Maybe you want to spend the day getting chores done so you won’t get overwhelmed during the week. Or maybe you want to put your feet up and relax for the entire day. Whatever you choose, just make that sure it’s helping rather than hindering you.
If you want to use your day off to look after your physical health too, try to get outside. It doesn’t have to be all day, and you don’t have to go far. But spending just a little bit of time outside boosts your vitamin D levels, which is great for both your bones and your mental health. Being in nature can even boost your immune system, as the fresh air will increase your oxygen levels and allow white blood cells to perform at their optimum level. You could also use the extra time to prepare a nutritious meal, with leftovers that you can freeze. Taking a mental health day won’t fix everything. So when you have another bad day and you can’t face cooking, all you have to do is pop the leftovers in the oven.
Waiting Will Only Make Things Worse
Your mental health won’t just fix itself. It’s vital that you act proactively and take control. Of course, taking a day off isn’t the only thing you should be doing. It’s important for you to discuss any mental health issues with your GP, as well as look after your body and keep in regular contact with loved ones. But by taking a mental health day, it’ll make life and work seem a lot more manageable in the meantime. So for the sake of both your health and your career, don’t be afraid to ask for some time off.
Written by Siobhan Kelly
Siobhan is a recent Sociology graduate, with a passion for writing. Her degree has given her experience researching a range of topics relating to the Sociology of both physical and mental health. She has a particular interest in understanding the effect that body image has on mental health.
