I remember as a young person falling in love with a great song: “See you in September.” While writing this article, I realized it was September already and that song popped into my head. This article concerns Mental Health Breaks. As you will find out, one suggested mental health break is to listen to music. How appropriate.
Have you ever felt like you need a chance to step away? Do you feel like taking even a moment to just breathe and relax? You’re thinking about mental health breaks. “A mental health break is anything that allows you to step back, relax, and recharge your mind. Mental health breaks can be different for everyone, depending on what helps them feel the renewal they need.” design.org
A mental health break can be three minutes of “4-Square Breathing”, or ten minutes while you take a walk or meditate. Other breaks may include a long vacation or even a leave of absence.
Hopefully you have both kinds of mental health breaks in your lives: regular shorter breaks to keep you going throughout the day or the week, and longer breaks for a long weekend or longer vacation.
Why Mental Health Breaks are Important
First, it is important to remember that your mental health is important. It is just as important as your physical health. Taking time for yourself, helps maintain your overall health. Unattended stress can lead to serious medical conditions. “If the stress is serious or prolonged it has effects on body’s immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems. When chronic stress goes untreated it can result into serious disabilities like insomnia, weakened immune system, high blood pressure, anxiety and muscle pain.” jscimedcentral.com
Everyone has stress. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But, it can become difficult to manage. A short break to give your brain a chance to unload can help you manage your day and keep you from becoming overwhelmed.
“The importance of mental health has become such a priority for many nations that there’s a designated World Mental Health Day.” stresscoach.app
Meridian Health lists some signs to look for that could indicate that it’s time to “Take Time”:
- You’ve lost your motivation and focus at work and become less productive
- You’ve become sad, irritable or angry
- You’re more anxious or depressed than usual, and you’re feeling overwhelmed
- You’re having trouble sleeping
- You’re getting chronic stress headaches
- You’ve lost interest in the activities that bring you joy
- You’ve withdrawn from your loved ones due to stress or anxiety
We just posted a new Find Your Stress Level Quiz you can take to discover just how stressed you really are.
Just Take a Break
Now we know more about stress, its importance and its warning signs. But, what can we do? The best course of action requires us to find ways to reduce stress before it overwhelms us. As I mentioned earlier, your best approach involves a mix of short easy ways to manage stress linked with longer deeper periods of rest.
It would be nice if we could just travel and take a vacation every time we needed a break. You likely don’t have the money or time off from work. Luckily, you can experience a mental escape right at home or outdoors.
You should aim to relax, laugh and feel a sense of well-being. The following quick, inexpensive activities may boost your mood and create a sense of happiness. One of my favorite mental health breaks means tuning in the my friend Bob Collins who has a radio show called A Musical Box of Chocolates. If you like music from the 60s and 70s you can listen at 6:00-8:00 p.m. (eastern)
Quick Breaks (10 min. or less)
- Relaxation breathing
- Step outside and find 5 things of interest
- Read some positivity quotes
- Walk or meditative walk
- Put a quick puzzle App on your phone
- Listen to some good music and sing along or dance
- Get a water, talk to a friend
- Look at a photo of your happy place
Longer Breaks (mental health days)
- Draw, paint or other quiet hobby
- Watch episodes of favorite TV show or comedy show.
- Just get some quality sleep (helps reset the brain and body)
- Meditate. Many online ways to find guided meditation
- Exercise, yoga (reduces stress hormones) love me some endorphins
- Get a good book go for a picnic or to a park (sunlight increases mood-boosting serotonin in the brain)
- Unplug from social media
- Be silent. Sit in silence. Meditate to allow the storm in your head to cease.
Conclusion
A recent study reported 95% of people felt a mental health day could improve their health and productivity but less than 25% felt they could take one. AAA reported that 33% of paid time off went unused last year and that number grew steadily for over 10 years.
A mental health break/day allows you to reboot. It puts you in control and keeps you in control. Most importantly, it puts your mental health first. You can forget about all of the things that stress you out on a day-to-day basis and bring some joy to your life.
Isn’t it time to give yourself a break?
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Thank you for describing how taking a mental health day or break enables you to reset. As you said, most importantly, it prioritizes your mental health and helps you maintain control. I have to do this soon because the stress and load of my work have been weighing me down lately. Maybe I can try out a wellness center and see if that’s something that will be good for my soul.