When a person is physically sick, they will go to the doctor, call out of work, or take medicine. Different people have different methods of taking care of their physical health when they are ill, but what about mental health? We typically don’t take as good of care of our mental health as our physical health because we do not know when or how to preserve our mental well-being. But as it turns out, it is just as important to take care of our mental health as is our physical health.
The relationship between our physical and mental health is bidirectional – if we do not take care of our mental health, our physical health will suffer. This is true the other way around, as well. Taking care of yourself physically will benefit you mentally and vice versa. Unfortunately, we do not always take our mental health into as much consideration, and part of this is not knowing when we need to call a sick day for our mental health.
If your mental health is suffering, you may experience a variety of symptoms. Exhaustion, anxiety, and a lack of focus are just a few of these. Some people become easily set off or triggered by small things. They feel on edge, and end up taking it out on the people who are close to them. Others feel disconnected from the people or world around them, and can often feel like they are moving in slow motion. Physical illness can also arise if your mental health is suffering: maybe that three week cold has less to do with the cold weather and more to do with your mental health. The tension in your shoulders or neck may not be because you slept wrong, it could be built-up stress that you haven’t been able to let go of.
So what should you do about it? Ultimately, the answer to this question is up to each individual and their own personal needs and limits. Obviously a person can’t take a day off every time they feel a little bit stressed. However, when you have been neglecting yourself or feeling overwhelmed to the point where your physical health, mental well-being or quality of work is suffering, you need a mental health day.
A mental health day should ultimately consist of whatever it is that helps each person relax and recover. Focus on working through challenging mental tasks that have been stressing you out recently – you now have a whole day to get through them. What are your best coping strategies for working through anxiety? How will you organize the rest of the week so that you can be less stressed later on? Working through difficult tasks that have been weighing you down earlier in the day will allow you to get a good night’s sleep later on that night. Make sure you take care of yourself physically, too. Eat all three meals, making sure they are healthy and balanced. Hit the gym to help you sleep better and release some stress that you have been holding on to. Clean up the areas that you are in the most – especially your bedroom. Sleeping in a messy space can make you feel more stressed out and make falling asleep harder. And if you feel up to it, you can invite some supportive friends for a hangout.
Mental health days are just as important and just as valid as sick days. But, if you find that you need mental health days too often, it may be time to consider outside help. Winthrop’s Health and Counseling Services are open to all students. Each student can get 8-12 individual sessions but can attend as many group sessions as they want or need. Remember that counseling is not just for people with mental illnesses, but is instead meant for anyone and everyone. Counselors can help with major or minor problems and are trained to help with a number of ailments. Take care of yourselves, Eagles, and remember that you are not alone.
