5 Obvious Signs You Need a Mental Health Day
By: Jerren Gan
Tags: Health, Psychology, Work Life Balance, Self Improvement, Mental Health

1. You feel “off”

While feeling “off” might not sound very specific, most of us should be able to tell when something seems different about yourself.

Perhaps it is a visible reduction in productivity, perhaps you begin to become more forgetful and distracted, or perhaps you feel like something is missing from your daily life. When you begin to sense that there is something that doesn’t feel right, it is a good time to take a short break to figure out what is wrong (especially when it goes on for a prolonged period of time).

2. You no longer enjoy the things that you used to like

In addition to sensing that something doesn’t feel right, another common sign of mental weariness is when you begin to stop enjoying the things you used to.

Of course, we might find ourselves losing interest in certain hobbies from time to time. However, the process of losing interest in hobbies is normally obvious and should take a while (like how children lose interest in watching children’s cartoons slowly).

That’s why, if you find that you’ve suddenly lost interest in activities (especially out of nowhere) you’ve always loved, it could be a sign that something could be wrong. Furthermore, if this waning interest happens to many different activities all at once, you might want to take a mental health day and/or seek help to see if there could be anything affecting you.

3. You’re shutting yourself in at home

A common trait that many suffering from mental illnesses share is the withdrawal from their social life.

As fighting with the demons of mental issues takes a huge toll on one, many will find that they have become more fatigued when dealing with mental illnesses. This can decrease one’s productivity (leading again to point 1 about feeling “off”) and causing work to pile up. This increased pile of work could start to overwhelm and put one into a downward spiral of having to dedicate more time to work (and an increasing amount of stress), reducing the time and energy available for socializing.

Another reason that could lead to the withdrawal from friends and family is the fact that many individuals suffering from mental illnesses believe that others simply do not care. They might feel that others are unable to understand their situation or push others away in fear of “being judged”.

Lastly, some also find themselves staying home more simply because they no longer enjoy the activities that they used to. Without the joy that comes with participating in these hobbies or interests, these individuals would prefer to simply stay at home instead.

4. You find your sleep schedule changing drastically

Everyone has a different sleep schedule. Some prefer to sleep early while others might prefer to sleep only when it’s 3 in the morning. However, when you begin to find your sleep schedule changing, it might be a good time to take a mental health day in order to step back and find out if anything is wrong.

From sleeping too much suddenly to not being able to fall asleep normally, a drastically different sleep schedule could be a manifestation of mental health issues. Furthermore, as a constant sleep problem can affect your physical health as well, it will be extremely worth it to take note of changes and find the root cause before it causes other problems for you.

5. You experience a change in your appetite

Just like a dramatically different sleep schedule, a drastic change in one’s appetite could be a sign of one’s mental health needing attention. This can come in two different directions: wanting to eat everything in sight or completely not wanting to eat (of course, these are but two extreme ends on the spectrum).

Of course, mental health issues do not necessarily come with all 5 of these symptoms. In fact, some individuals could experience none of this (and could also be experiencing other physical symptoms that aren’t mentioned).

However, these 5 common signs serve as a prompt that can remind you to take a break and seek help if necessary. Whenever you find yourself experiencing a shift in your own personal behavior (or routines), take a step back to take a breather and ask yourself if you need help.

By normalizing taking care of one’s mental health, it becomes easier for all of us to help one another detect possible symptoms and for us to seek help when we have to. And when we begin to treat mental health issues just like physical illnesses, perhaps we can create a society where seeking help is common.