Mental Health Days are Important too

Mental health is such a taboo topic but it is something that needs to be talked about more often. This is especially true due to the fact that it is something that affects everyone no matter their age, gender, or sexuality. 

Luckily now it's a topic that is being talked about more often but it is still something that a lot of people don't take too seriously. This honestly sucks because mental health not only impacts one mentally, it impacts one physically, socially, and so on.

With all of this said since mental health impacts people in more ways than one, this brings up the topic of why mental health days are equally as important as sick days. A lot of the time students or employees have to lie to their bosses and professors as to why they were not in class or at work.

This is because most of the time people will tell you to brush it off and that mental health is not that serious to point that it won't allow you to come in and do work. When in reality it is, while mental health may not be contagious like the flu is, it still impacts the way one can think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Along with this it also hinders one's ability to work as well as others at times. 

To add to this mental health can make someone feel sick even if they are not actually sick. This is especially true since some people lose their appetite, and they also feel increased fatigue throughout the day. All of which make it difficult to come into work and focus. Hence why I believe mental health days are as equally important and as valid of a reason to miss school or work. 

Though to take a successful mental health day here are some tips:

• Plan ahead if you can. 
• Ensuring that you've taken steps to rearrange your workload lessens the stress that one has to deal with after. 
• Decide What You Need Most
• This can range from being alone and spending time on things you enjoy, to spending time with people you care about and have fun with.
• If you need to relax then RELAX.
• This can mean watching your fave shows or:
• Attending a yoga class
• Getting a massage
• Swimming at the gym
• Taking a walk in nature
• What to Avoid:
• Smoke, drink, or use other substances
• Overeat unhealthy foods
• Ruminate or wallow in negative emotions
• Spend all day reading posts on social media
• If you need to make some changes:
• You can start to eliminate stress by:
• Creating a list of things that drain your energy
• Cutting out some of your larger stressors
• Taking a look at your priorities

Thank you and I hope this helps.

chat/rant later x shannea