You wake up another day….feeling sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Work is stressful, home is stressful, and you can’t seem to get a break. Those might be signs that it’s time to day a mental health day off work (or heck, a whole week if possible!). But knowing how to ask for a mental health day is not always easy.
That’s why MindBar experts put together this guide to help you answer, “Do I need a mental health day?” and help you figure out how to say you need a mental health day off. But first, what are the benefits of a day of mental health..and are there any downsides?
Benefits of Mental Health Days Off
If you don’t know the mental health day meaning, it’s simply a day off to take care of your mental, emotional, and psychological health. While that could be due to an existing mental illness or worsened symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other conditions, it doesn’t have to be and you can take it just to rejuvenate your energy and mental acuity.
A mental health day for students, employees, or even mothers, fathers, or anyone else who needs a break can help you focus on managing your stress levels, prevent burnout, get some restful sleep, and come back more productive than ever.
Some people may warn you against taking a mental health day off for various reasons, but if you’re wondering why mental health days are a bad idea, the answer is simple: they aren’t. They can be highly beneficial to your overall well-being, just like eating healthy foods is good for your health, taking a day off is great for mental well-being.
But an employee mental health day is not just healthy for you…it’s healthy for your employer as well. While some bosses may try to persuade you to stick around, research shows that 84% of managers reported increased productivity after a break. Plus, it can reduce the number of sick days.
So, as you can see there are plenty of reasons to take a mental health day off, but it’s difficult to know how to request a mental health day. However, first, do you actually need one or should you wait until a later time?
Do I Need a Mental Health Day?
If you’re wondering when to take mental health day, then there’s a good chance you already know you need one.
However, you probably can’t request mental health days for employees a couple of times per month without aggravating your superiors, so you might want to plan accordingly to make sure you’re making good use of your precious day. If you’re an hourly worker, you should also consider the financial ramifications.
Regardless, here are 5 signs you need to take a mental health day:
- You feel unproductive, can’t focus, and have no motivation
- You’re more irritable and can’t stand co-workers, even the ones you like
- You experience work/life balance problems and stress is starting to impact your personal life and well-being
- You have lost interest in activities you used to enjoy like hobbies or spending time with friends.
- You are feeling sick more often or experiencing changes to your appetite, alcohol consumption, or sleeping habits
If you are experiencing those signs you need a mental health day for employees, then it’s time to move on to how to ask for mental health days.
How to Ask for a Mental Health Day
Taking a mental health day can be fantastic for your overall well-being… you might even wake up thinking it’s a good day to have a good day! However, first, you have to figure out how to ask your boss for a mental health day.
Before we look at some tips for what to say when you need a mental health day, it’s important to note that businesses have to provide reasonable accommodations for mental health conditions. Therefore, regardless of your employer’s mental health day policy, terminating an employee with mental health issues can fall under discrimination laws.
If your boss threatens to fire you or goes through with termination for mental health conditions, keep track of any written communication that includes these details, visit HR, or even speak to a lawyer.
Now that that’s out of the way, here are some tips for how to request a mental health day! If you get worried, use some positive affirmations to feel good about asking for the day off you deserve.
You Don’t Have to Explain
Depending on how comfortable you are as well as your employer’s mental health day off policy and track record of accommodating these types of requests for mental health days in the workplace, you can decide whether you want to disclose the real reason for taking time off. However, you don’t have to tell.
Here are some how to ask for a mental health day examples if you do want to disclose the reason:
- “I’ve been struggling with overwhelming stress and need to take a sick day to recuperate. Thank you for understanding.”
- “I haven’t been able to focus or be as productive as normal and a mental health day would help me come back more efficient. I will be back tomorrow more productive than ever!”
If you don’t want to explain, keep reading our tips for how to take a mental health day off work!
Call In Sick
You can just call in sick as you would for any other illness. Tell them you’re feeling under the weather and you need a sick day. While we don’t recommend lying by making up symptoms you don’t have, that’s a possibility that some people may recommend taking mental health days at work.
If you don’t want to lie, just be vague using a how to ask for mental health day template like this one:
“ Hi, I have been feeling sick this morning so I won’t be able to come in.”
{If they answer negatively or say you need to come in anyways}
“I’m sorry, I really am unable to make it in today, but I should be back tomorrow as normal”
{If they ask for a doctor’s note}
“I know that you require a doctor’s note after [number] days, but I plan to be back tomorrow. If not, I will go to the doctor.”
Use a Day You Already Have Off
Sometimes it’s still hard to get away even if you know how to ask for a day off for mental health, but you can also use a day you’ve already planned to take off as a mental health day. The truth is that we often use our days off and weekends to catch up on chores, go grocery shopping, and stress about the next work day.
Instead, try using the day to catch up on sleep, do things you enjoy, and rejuvenate your spiritual well-being. You can also try guided breathing exercises, journaling, and other stress-reduction techniques.
Ask In Advance
While there are some days when you need a mental health day immediately, asking in advance can be very helpful. That way, your employer can make plans to get through the day without you. How to know when to take a mental health day is up to you though, so make sure you prioritize your own health.
Asking in advance also helps you make plans for what you want to do based on your personal well-being needs like getting more rest, making a vision board, reducing stress, playing video games, visiting a friend, going to a beach, staying the night at a bed and breakfast, or anything else.
Frame it in a Way That’s Beneficial for Your Employer
As we mentioned earlier, a mental health day off work can help boost your productivity. In fact, that’s why a lot of companies are starting to implement a more lenient mental health sick day policy. If you frame your request for a mental health day in a way that’s positive for your employer, that might convince them to fulfill your request happily (instead of begrudgingly like you might expect).
Use an Email
If you don’t want to ask over the phone for any reason, you can always use email. This especially works for vague sick call-ins or when you’re comfortable telling them the real reason for your time off. If you don’t know how to write a mental health day email, you can use this email template:
“Greetings [name],
I’ve been feeling under the weather for the last few hours and will need to take the day off. I hope to be fully recovered by [date OR “tomorrow].
Thank you for understanding,
[Signoff]”
Conclusion
Now that you know how to ask for a mental health day at work, the only thing to do is figure out what you plan to do with your day off. If you want to prioritize your mental health from the comfort of your home, check out MindBar health classes for your mental health day. You can learn stress reduction, use positive self-talk, encourage healthy relationships, and much more all from our affordable platform!