How To Actually Take Your Mental Health Days

Be honest, when’s the last time you took a mental health day? We see you workaholics. Don’t wait till work “calms down” – you know as well as we do it never does. Which is why Parallel is serving you the 411 on how to actually take your mental health days – and no, it doesn’t involve waiting until you’re physically sick to spend a half-hearted day in bed checking Slack.

And your work will thank you for it (we’re being serious!). From burnout to quiet quitting, ditching your dream job because you couldn’t prioritise your mental health isn’t in anyone’s best interests – employer and employee alike. Wanna bring your all to your 9 to 5? Here’s how…

Use Your PTO

Got unlimited PTO? It’s not a flex if you never use it! And remember: taking a day off work is not just for vacations – it’s also to take care of yourself: a staycation for your mind and soul.

Looking at the next month of deadline after deadline and feeling a lil’ dead inside? Schedule you PTO ahead of time as a lil’ something special to celebrate your hard work – you’ll work better for it.

Treat Yourself To A Morning… In Bed

Who knew sleeping in could be such a luxury?! Unplug your alarm – and better yet, put your work phone (on silent) in the next room and let yourself lie in. What does it feel like to have no notifications to check? No emails to reply to – even if it’s just with an “I’m out of office!” – the morning is yours. Let your mind and body decide when it’s time to rise and shine.

Do The Bare Minimum

This is directed to all you remote workers. Sure – working from home has its perks but it can also actively encourage self-neglect. So, how can you switch up PTO when you typically work from home? Rewrite your routine to suit you.

If you’re the type to roll out of bed at 8:58 to start working at 9 – today’s the day where you roll out of bed to shower, brush your teeth and take a walk (or don’t!) Your mental health day isn’t about completing household tasks that you didn’t have time to do on the weekend – it’s about telling your mind that it’s time to rest.

Avoid ANY & ALL Interactions With Work Or Colleagues

The moment to practice setting boundaries is now! Any lil’ “just checking in” or “quick question” texts are to be ignored at ALL costs. If you can’t take these 24 hours for yourself – when will you?!

Set your email to an automatic OOO response the night before, and completely unsubscribe from your work life for the day. We mean it!

Your Inner Child Misses You

Connect with your inner child – your hobbies miss you, and you miss them – well, the peaceful mindlessness and childlike happiness they can offer anyway. From drawing, to painting, to writing a poem and cartwheeling, what would the seven year old version of you dream of doing if they got to skip school?

Be silly and get creative. Your mental health day doesn’t need to look like a crisis. You deserve this reprieve from all things adulting! Relax into your day of self in the sanctuary of your making.