Taking a sick day has always been hard for me. I was the girl in elementary and middle school with the perfect attendance record, or the girl who always tried for the perfect attendance record certificate. If I missed a day, it meant I was REALLY sick and couldn’t get out of bed.

That mindset followed me into high school, and college, and now working a full-time job. I drag myself to work with a runny and congested nose, sore throat, and stomachache. (AND not to mention very heavy period cramps.) And my mental health? Psh, I can have a full-blown anxiety attack in the A.M. before work and then show up 30 minutes later with another cup of coffee in my hand. Basically, I ignore any symptoms I’m having (physical or mental) and show up to work anyway. Or any other appointment, really.

And then COVID hit.

The world went virtual, aka everyone working full-time jobs worked remotely from their homes. The world, overall, started to view their health (physical and mental) as something to prioritize. As the world opened up and people went back to in-person offices, there was this shift in that, “if you are sick, stay home.” And that idea was very much new to me. I was raised with the concept of unless you have a 100 degree fever (or higher), you can go to school. No way was I skipping work or using PTO for a runny nose. And no way was I using a sick day for my mental health because I felt “burnt out.”

But as this new mindset towards sick days and PTO changed for the world, so did it for me personally. No longer did I feel guilty for taking a sick day and I started to realize that you can indeed use a sick day for your mental health (within reason, and I’m still learning this). I started to request more sick days when I was feeling ill and because of this, I started seeing my mental health as a viable excuse as a sick day. And because of this, I started prioritizing my mental health. And overall, I started to prioritize me.

So, let this be your sign to take a mental health day. Request a day off of work if you can, if you are feeling exhausted to the point of burnout and you can’t function anymore unless you have time away from work. Plan a day on the weekend if you can’t, but try and request a day off work.

How To Take A Mental Health Day:

• Plan your mental health day. I know — you are burnt out from organizing your life and all the things you need to do on a daily basis. But trust me … plan your mental health day. What do you want to accomplish? You don’t need to make this a list of “things to do around the house” list. Maybe you want to rest, but not in the form of sleep and nap time. Maybe it’s giving your body a break from working out constantly. Maybe this looks like lounging on the couch for a few hours and then running a couple of fun errands. Think of some fun things to do on this day that you enjoy doing — something creative, cooking, journaling your emotions, etc.

• Choose your day. Like I mentioned above, you want to make this day about you and prioritizing you. In a full-time job, however, you may have people depending on you. While it is important to prioritize you, make sure that you choose a day where you’re not going to be very busy. Let your supervisor/manager know that you want to request this day off far in advance (doesn’t have to be months, but still enough days that others can plan ahead). Choose a day that works for you.

• Communicate! Tell someone that you’re taking a mental health day. (This also encourages someone else to prioritize their mental health, thus starting a chain reaction!) Let someone know so you can have an accountability partner. You can check in with them and let them know how you are doing.

• If you need some fun — let yourself have fun. Plan a fun event. Take yourself to the movies. Go get ice cream at the local ice cream shop.

• If you need to relax — let your body relax. Try yoga, a massage, swimming, walking. And my personal favorite? Sit in front of the TV on your couch with your favorite comfort show — or new show! Try a new show that you’ve been meaning to watch. This actually improves your mental health because you are relaxing your body and muscles from being on the go for way too long.

• Avoid common triggers. Delete any apps on your phone that relate to work (for people working in media, delete social media!). Delete your email apps; if you can’t, at least put them on a different screen than your home screen. Delete social media. Try to avoid unhealthy foods, or foods that make you sluggish. I’m all for my therapy goldfish and reflective Diet Coke, but if they make you feel more sluggish and groggy, then avoid them. The point of this mental health day is to get you feeling better, not worse. Also, avoid any smoking, drinking, or other substances.

Overall, you should be able to prioritize your mental health no matter where you work, what your field is. Your mental health is important. You are important. One of my important sayings is “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” You need to prioritize you in order to serve and help others and do what you are called to do. This may be harder for others, but I believe anyone can make room for a mental health day (or even a few hours to yourself).