Do you need a mental health day?

A melancholy-looking woman rests her arm on the back of a chair and holds her other hand on top of her head.

Woke up feeling exhausted, irritable, and overwhelmed? Not ill, exactly, but not quite well, either?

A cough, fever, or nausea are clear signs you should think about taking a sick day. But it's not always as obvious when your psychological load is pointing toward a similar remedy — a mental health day.

Shrugging off all responsibilities, even for just 24 hours, can help you return to work and life with a fresher perspective and leave you feeling calmer, more capable, and perhaps even more productive, says clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo, an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.

"It's interesting that we call these mental health days, which in some ways implies my mental health is unwell and I need to rest," Dattilo says. "Maybe I'm not quite sick, but I feel I might be on my way and want to prevent that from happening. This is a way to preserve mental health."

Women's views differ

Mental health days weren't a cultural phenomenon in our grandparents' time. But now they're commonplace enough — if not always easy to pull off — that Americans have weighed in on how necessary they are.

Apparently there's a sex disparity on this subject: more women (50.5%) than men (46.3%) feel it's very important to take mental health days, according to a 2024 survey of 763 people who took one over the past year. Meanwhile, baby boomers were the most likely age group to describe mental health days as "absolutely necessary."

Dattilo isn't surprised women rate the need for mental health days higher than our male counterparts do. "Women are historically and traditionally in tune with ideas like these, because we have more conversations with female friends about how we're doing or feeling," she says. "Plus, the importance of taking care of our mental health is more normalized for us, and we're more likely to do something about it."

Heed these symptoms

How can you tell a mental health day is called for? You may feel

burned out at work
overwhelmed by personal issues
unmotivated
exhausted by work or life demands
sad, irritable, or angry
less productive
more anxious or depressed than usual
unable to sleep consistently
drawn toward using alcohol or other substances more frequently.

"Usually when we're thinking about taking a mental health day, we're dealing with stress or burnout, which can raise the risk for depression or anxiety for someone prone to them," Dattilo says.

Another big clue lies in our relationships. "Are you lashing out more, losing your temper, or more agitated or irritable for no obvious reason?" Dattilo asks. "Sometimes our loved ones realize before we do how close we are to burnout."

Staying on top of these clues requires regularly turning inward. Dattilo recommends making a habit of asking yourself two simple questions: "What do I need?" and "How am I doing?" It's also wise to rate your levels of three key metrics on a scale of one to 10: exhaustion, apathy, and dread.

"The earlier we start to notice that maybe we're not doing so great," she says, "the sooner we can step in to make sure our mood doesn't sink any lower."

Overcoming barriers

Even if your employer offers mental health or personal days, taking one isn't always easy. It may require removing or managing obstacles to doing so, whether practical or psychological. And sometimes we get in our own way, feeling the cost of stepping away is higher — either financially or logistically — than the benefits.

"Maybe you're up against a deadline or don't want to burden your co-workers by not being there," Dattilo explains. "That's a huge deterrent for many people."

For others, just broaching the issue with their boss feels intimidating. But you don't have to say you're taking a mental health day if you don't wish to share that. You can offer the same reason you do when taking a sick day, or say you need the day to manage a personal health issue — which is true.

Either way, keep the actual interaction simple. "If we're feeling a little guilty or anxious, we tend to overexplain and give more information than we need to," Dattilo says.

Don't wait too long

Not taking a mental health day when one is warranted comes with its own perils, according to clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo. If you're coping with an underlying mental health issue for which you're seeking treatment, such as depression or anxiety, "the risk of not taking these breaks is real," she says. "It can make these conditions more prone to flaring up."

Over the long term, it's wise to commit to taking a mental health day on a regular basis — perhaps quarterly or once every other month. "The trap we fall into is waiting too long or putting it off, deciding we just don't have the time right now. You can miss the window of opportunity to a point where you're going to need more than a day to feel you've recharged your batteries," Dattilo says.

"Think of it like a pre-charge," she adds. "Instead of waiting for your battery to drain — especially if you know you're going to have a long stretch where taking a break isn't feasible — make sure you take a pre-break."

Choices, choices

Once you've decided to take a mental health day, the pressing question is what to do with this precious time. Whatever that is, don't tackle any work tasks — even emails — if you can help it.

You may envision a day of pampering involving activities such as sleeping in, reading a book, getting a massage or facial, taking a hike, meeting up with friends, or catching up on hobbies. But many people's idea of indulgence swings toward more practical pursuits, Dattilo says. She suspects that most people who take a mental health day use at least part of it to get errands done.

"They take care of things around the house they don't otherwise get to. It's a form of self-care, and it makes them feel better," she says. "They don't have stuff hanging over their heads and don't feel as overwhelmed."

Either way, the aim is to not specifically be productive. "You've earned the right to relax, but be intentional and purposeful with your time. Don't let it just slip away," Dattilo advises.

To that end, if you know a mental health day is on your horizon, it's worth taking time to plan your actions in advance. Keep a list of options for such a day.

"The goal is to feel recharged and rested as much as possible within that amount of time," she says. "The real benefit of taking a mental health day, aside from the break it gives us, is the empowerment we feel by taking care of ourselves and doing something we know is good for us."