Why Taking a Mental Health Day Often Isn't Enough

"You might have had someone say it to you before: "Oh, just take a mental health day."

It's not a bad suggestion. Experts say mental health days can help people feel replenished and ready to return to work. But they are not a long-term solution to the mental health crisis the U.S. is facing.

Fittingly, the theme of World Mental Health Day this year is investment in mental health.1 Investment requires more than just taking the occasional mental health day, and experts say it needs to start in the workplace.

"If companies can view their employees as human beings, not as productivity machines, productivity will actually probably increase, because when people feel mentally well, they're more productive," says Eve Rosenfeld, a doctoral student in psychology at SUNY Buffalo.

Sometimes Mental Health Days Can Help

Taking days off can help you feel better when you're struggling emotionally. "A mental health day gives our bodies and our brains time to rest and repair," says Jeffrey Cohen, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Doing things you enjoy also has proven mental health benefits. "Pleasant activity scheduling, which is also known as behavioral activation, is one of the most well-researched treatments for depression and is proven to boost mood," Cohen says.

"If you're going to take a mental health day, actually take the day off," Sawyer says. "You don't have your email open. You're doing exactly what replenishes you."

Why Mental Health Days Are a Temporary Solution

Most part-time employees do not receive paid sick time and can't afford to take time off as a result. "It is a privilege to be able to take a mental health day," Sawyer says. "The people who have the most difficult time actually getting the time off are the ones who need it the most."

"You might feel uncomfortable telling your boss or your employer that you need to use a mental health day, because maybe you feel that it communicates to them that there's something wrong with you or that you're not a serious employee or that you're too overwhelmed with your work," Rosenfeld says. "That promotion that was on the table might be at risk if you're taking mental health days, and that shouldn't have to be the case."

What Real Investment in Mental Health Looks Like

Rosenfeld, Sawyer, and Cohen all say employers need to invest more in mental health.

A 2018 analysis from Penn State University found that "a single extra poor mental health day in a month was associated with a 1.84% drop in the per capita real income growth rate, resulting in $53 billion less total income each year."7 Researchers said this shows how much businesses stand to gain by investing in employee mental health from the beginning.

But Sawyer notes that investing in mental health needs to be a collaborative effort between corporations, government agencies, schools and universities, and nonprofit groups. "There's no mental health education in K through 12 [school] systems to help people prevent the need for mental health days in the first place," he says.

Addressing the growing mental health crisis in the U.S. has to be multi-pronged. That won't happen through a few mental health days."

*The mental health crisis in the United States has been getting worse, especially since the start of the pandemic. The way our system is set up doesn't allow for proper mental health care and I personally believe that we need more preventative care that helps people take care of themselves before they start to struggle and it impacts their work and personal lives. Most companies don't treat mental health as a priority, but then it becomes a problem when people need a break. Because of this, it's in everyone's best interest to have more preventative measures. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to mental health care and there's a big need for reform. It will take time, but I'm hopeful that we are moving in a direction that values mental health more highly than it did in the past. In the meantime, it's important that we take care of ourselves the best that we can! To help keep myself happy and healthy, I like to go out with my friends, try new restaurants in the city, read a good book, and go to the gym! What are some things you like to do to improve your mental health?*
#MentalHealthDay #Wellness #Happiness

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