How to Take An Effective Mental Health Day
Sometimes taking a mental day off- a day off that’s specifically geared toward stress relief and burnout prevention-is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Change the environment
Do something or relaxing or pleasurable for a little while such as reading, watching TV, or taking a shower.
If you are at work, step outside for a few minutes and get some fresh air.
Take the scenic route instead of the usual route instead of the full of traffic lights and people.
Practice breathing exercises.
Focus on your breath, pushing all other thoughts aside.
Be conscious of the breath coming in and going out.
Focus on the sensation of inhaling and exhaling
Take a quick nap.
Take a guilt free short nap in the mid-afternoon. It can boost memory, improve job performance, lift your mood, make you more alert, and ease stress.
Studies have shown that sleep plays an important role in storing memories. A nap can help you remember things learned earlier in the day as much as a full night’s sleep. Napping works to keep you from forgetting things like motor skills, sense perception, and verbal recall as well.
Napping can help your brain draw connections between things you find out. In one study, nappers found it easier to put together information they got earlier in the day.
Simple Nutritious Breakfast
Research shows that a healthy breakfast can also lead to a better, more positive and even-keel mood. Missing meals, especially breakfast, can cause blood sugar, which causes irritability, fatigue and brain fog. It can even cause your brain to produce excess cortisol, making you feel stressed and anxious.
A yogurt and fruit bowl combination is a simple, stress-fighting breakfast you can make in seconds. Yogurt is a great breakfast option because it has protein to keep you full and probiotic bacteria, which have been shown to support mental function and off-set stress hormone, cortisol.
Research shows that the gut and brain are connected, a partnership called gut-brain. The two are linked through biochemical signaling between the nervous system in the digestive tract, called the enteric nervous system, and the central nervous system, which includes the brain. The primary information connection between the brain and the gut is the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body.
The gut has been called a “second brain” because it produces many of the same neurotransmitters as the brain does, like serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid, all of which play a key role in regulating mood. In fact, it is estimated that 90% of serotonin is made in the digestive tract.
Take a walk in the park.
alone, with your dog or a friend
Take deep breaths along the way
Drink in the scenery with your five senses
Think of ten things you are grateful for.
You feel more positive emotions
Remember good experiences
Improves your health
Helps deal with adversity
Build strong relationships
Socialize
Benefits mental and physical health
Dr. Craig Sawchuk from Mayo clinic says “ we are social animals by nature, so we tend to function better when we are in a community and being around others”
Decreases risk of depression
Do something Creative.
Paint a wall a different color or paint on a canvas ( you don’t need to be an artist)
Photography, Cooking, rearranging furniture are one of many ways you can express your creative energy. It can take away stress at hand because it requires focus, concentration and physical activity
Stretches a different type of muscle that you don’t get to exercise at work
Be in the moment with one of your senses.
Sight, smell, sound and taste-you’ll be amazed how quickly the stress melts away when you focus with just one of them.
Eat something that you crave and savor each bite.
Light a scented candle and breath in your favorite scent.
Listen to a wonderful piece of music and let it take you away.
Look at something beautiful in your surroundings that makes you stop and stare.
Remember that your mental health is just as important to your overall well-being as your physical health. Just like any type of illness or bodily distress, your mind needs time to rest and recover.
