The Many Benefits of Mental Health Days in the Workplace

In recent years, a shift in understanding has begun to highlight the connection between employee mental health, performance, colleague relationships, and the company as a whole. What was once considered an afterthought has now become a legitimate explanation for why certain instances, good or bad, may require additional intervention. Clearbrook Massachusetts treatment center takes a closer look at the benefits of mental health days and what they can do to improve your company.

Why Is Mental Health Awareness Important?

Anxiety and depression are extremely prevalent amongst many Americans. While most people understand that money is needed to survive in this country, this mentality has had less favorable results. Not that long ago, if employees did not have a doctor’s note proving physical symptoms preventing them from doing their job, it was often assumed that nothing was wrong. This could be due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, as conversations centering on this topic were considered too delicate and personal for an office.

This, however, can lead employees to feel like they need to hide their struggles, whether it’s having a panic attack in a bathroom or sabotaging their work without even realizing it. Depending on the actual job in question, the repercussions of an unaddressed mental issue (which could be a disorder or general symptoms) can range from frustrating, to dangerous, to downright life-threatening. It is very easy to get caught up in the routine of a work week, but not listening to the signs and symptoms of burnout can lead to far more unpleasant consequences.

Causes of Stress in the Workplace

This will depend on the job in question. Ultimately a number of factors can cause make a person feel overextended at work, including:

• Is this a client-facing role?
• Is heavy machinery involved? Or are any other dangerous tasks required?
• How much pressure is the job placing on the employee?
• Is camaraderie encouraged amongst employees?
• Are other resources available to manage mental health on a regular basis? If not, why?

While an individual’s mental health is their own responsibility at the end of the day, human relations, managers, and other employees can all play a part in catching burnout early. This is why regular mental health days are so important. At the end of the day, employees are human beings, and being able to replenish one’s mental fortitude can be the component that makes or breaks success in the end.

What to Do on a Mental Health Day

A day off with the intention of restoring mental health can have a number of benefits for employees, such as:

• Improving overall health
• Potential increase in performance and productivity
• Possibly prevent sick days in the long run

How a person will choose to restore their energy on one of these days can have a drastic effect on their performance upon returning. The intention is a very important component of optimal time off. Although it may seem like a good excuse to indulge and throw caution to the wind, taking advantage of these days to do so can have the opposite effect.

Some of our favorite tips for successful mental health days include:

• Getting at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep
• Eating delicious and nutritious meals throughout the day
• Exercising
• Doing something you enjoy, such as reading, baking, spending time with family and friends, etc.

The benefits of mental health days are plentiful, and forming healthy habits at a personal and company level can lead to overall success for all involved. Even with that in mind, there will always be individuals who struggle with mental disorders, and one day off may not be enough to tackle these.

In cases where stronger intervention is needed, Clearbrook offers residential mental health care designed to get to the bottom of a disorder and teach important coping mechanisms that can be applied when they return to work. Additionally, a lack of care can eventually lead to addiction as a means to cope with the stress, which our Massachusetts drug rehab programs can treat where necessary.

For more information on these programs and how they can help you, call Clearbrook Massachusetts, at 570-536-9621 today.