Our mental health is just as important as our physical health and requires just as much care and attention. Grind culture can sometimes work us to the bone, or those who are passionate about their careers may not realize they need to take a breath until they literally break. Don’t wait for burn-out to set in before you ask for a day off of work. Our brains work just as hard as our bodies and deserve a break as well.
It’s easy to ask for a day off when we can’t shake a cold, or if we’ve been injured but what about when it comes to our mental health?
If you’re wondering if you should feel guilty about taking a mental health day, the long and short of it is a hard ‘no’. Just like you’re open with friends and family about discussing your mental health needs, there are ways to approach asking your boss for a mental health day that make the process easier and more comfortable.
Use these 5 easy techniques to make asking your boss for a mental health day a smooth and easy process.
1. Recognize that you need a break
The first step to solving a problem is recognizing you have one. If you find yourself overwhelmed, overly reactive, tense, or having trouble concentrating at work, these are all signs that you may be burnt-out.
Taking a mental health day can help us approach our problems with a fresh perspective.
Remember, that it’s not just our work lives that cause us emotional stress. We have whole lives outside of work that affect our mental well-being.
Taking a day off to unplug, and refocus your energy is something we all deserve.
2. Overcome your fear of being judged
Mental health is becoming easier to discuss in a lot of open cultures but regardless, it can still be an uncomfortable topic to approach, especially with your boss.
Know that, however, the longer the issue is pushed aside, the more you might feel like not going into work at all. Find comfort in knowing that a lot of work places now offer mental health programs to support employees.
Being prepared will also help you feel more confident in owning and approaching the situation.
3. Plan your approach
If you're asking for a mental health day(s) it’s best to acknowledge what you need before you approach your boss and how you will do it. Is it a day you’re asking for or an extended period of time? Will you send an email or prefer to chat face-to-face? Preparing what to say beforehand will help you feel more confident when approaching your boss.
If you feel comfortable, take this opportunity to explain how your mental health is affecting your performance and what kind of things in the workplace may be exacerbating how you feel.
This can open the door for your employer to offer adjustments to certain tasks and environmental factors, such as being more flexible with your hours and working times.
4. Keep it short and sweet
Preparing what to say beforehand will help you keep it short and to the point. You don’t need to go into full details about what you’re experiencing, only that you’ve been feeling overly stressed lately and need a mental health day(s) to recharge.
There is no need to get personal if it makes you uncomfortable, as long as you’re honest. Having these open conversations can actually strengthen the trust between you and your boss, and help pave the way for others facing similar challenges.
You deserve some time to recharge and take care of your mental well-being.
5. Remember that sometimes going into work can help
You might not feel like going into the office or seeing other people but actually, seeing and interacting with others can boost your mental health in positive ways.
The workplace can have a positive effect on well-being, self-esteem, recovery, social connectedness and identity. It can also help to speak about your experiences and offer an opportunity to connect with other people at your office in an honest and vulnerable way.
Afterall, vulnerability helps foster connections.
Final Thoughts
Although it may feel uncomfortable, asking your boss for a mental health day can be a great opportunity to open new lines of communication, foster connections and help build confidence. Doing so will help the quality of your work in the long run, and could actually help you foster connections with other co-workers.
Taking responsibility for our mental well-being helps us live more stress-free in the long run. It also helps us become more aware of what we need. By asking for what we need, we are honoring and respecting our own desire for health and well-being.
If you feel like a counsellor can help you deal with emotional stress related to your career or overall sense of well-being, please get in touch. Our team is equipped with the tools to help you better manage stress, anxiety and depression.