The Sickness

“In the air I’m sensing a change in the weather. In the end the path is clear.” –”Crazy Life” by Toad the Wet Sprocket

Let’s be truthful here – I enjoy my mental health days as much as the next person. Honestly, if you’ve never taken a mental health day, you’re missing out on some amazing personal time. The feeling around you when you wake up on a weekday and are the only person not at work for miles around is pretty uplifting; it’s like a secret that only you’re aware of. You could spend three hours at Starbucks. You could walk into Target to get toothpaste and leave after spending $50 on things you can’t remember. You could even stay in bed, in your pajamas, in the dark, and internet-stalk for the entire day! And here’s the best part - no one knows! As far as everyone else is concerned, it’s just another Tuesday and you’re probably at work. HA!

Besides all that internet-stalking, mental health days can revitalize what tends to become routine. Work is work; whether you love it or you hate it, it’s not the same as sitting at home on the couch and zoning out during Big Brother, so it falls under the category of “work.” And when you work every day, for weeks, months, years, it starts to wear on your body, but especially on your soul. We need time to ourselves. We need time where we’re not required to talk to anyone and don’t have to worry about what we’re wearing, smelling like, or working on. We need to hit the refresh button.

Now, obviously mental health days are not something that should be enjoyed, say, weekly. This is something reserved for when you just can’t take it anymore. When you’re lying in bed after snoozing for a good 30 minutes thinking, “I just can’t do this anymore.” Mental health days aren’t for skipping a giant project you have due first thing, or avoiding discussions with your boss about pay raises you probably aren’t going to get. Mental health days are for no one but yourself, and taking one shouldn’t make work any more difficult than it already is.

Give yourself that day once in a while to reassess your life, to remember only yourself, and to revitalize your soul.