A Morning Routine Will Improve Your Mood
How to Take an Effective Mental Health Day Off
A mental health day only works if you actually use it well. That means more than just calling out sick and spending the day in bed watching TV. A well-planned mental health day can help you reset, reduce stress, and come back to your regular routine feeling more like yourself. The key is being intentional about how you spend the time.
Here's how to do it right.
How Do You Know When You Need a Mental Health Day?
Most people wait until they're completely depleted before they give themselves permission to take a break. But by that point, one day off rarely feels like enough.
Some signs that a mental health day is overdue:
You've been irritable or short-tempered with people around you for no clear reason.
You're struggling to concentrate on tasks that normally feel easy.
You're waking up tired even after a full night of sleep.
You're dreading things you usually look forward to.
Small problems are feeling enormous.
These are signs your nervous system is telling you it needs a break. Listening to that is not weakness. It's one of the more useful things you can do for your performance, your relationships, and your long-term health.
What Makes a Mental Health Day Actually Effective?
The mistake most people make is treating a mental health day the same way they'd treat a sick day. You stay home, do nothing, and feel guilty about it the whole time. Then you go back to work the next day feeling roughly the same as when you left.
An effective mental health day has some intention behind it. That doesn't mean it has to be packed with activities or feel productive. It means you're doing things that actually restore you, not just kill time.
Before you take the day, ask yourself: what actually helps me feel better? Not what you think you should do, but what genuinely recharges you. For some people that's solitude and quiet. For others it's movement, being around friends, or spending time outdoors. There's no single right answer.
What Should You Do on a Mental Health Day?
Think of your day in terms of what your mind and body are actually asking for.
Get outside if you can.
Southern California has a lot going for it here. A walk at El Dorado Park, some time near the water at Belmont Shore, or even just sitting outside at a local coffee shop can do more for your stress levels than you'd expect. There's solid research behind the idea that being in natural settings, or even just daylight, helps regulate cortisol and improve mood.
Move your body, but don't force it.
A gentle walk or a light stretch can release tension without adding physical stress. A brutal workout when you're already running on empty often makes things worse, not better.
Do something you enjoy without guilt.
Read the book you keep putting off. Cook a meal you actually want to eat. Watch a show you love. Enjoyment is not a luxury. Your brain needs it.
Limit scrolling and social media.
A mental health day where you spend six hours on your phone is not really a mental health day. Social media tends to amp up comparison, anxiety, and distraction. Give yourself a real break from it.
Rest without apology.
If your body needs sleep, sleep. If you need to sit quietly and do nothing for an hour, do that. There's nothing unproductive about actual rest.
How Do You Handle the Guilt?
This is the part most people find hardest. Taking a day off for your mental health still carries a lot of stigma, especially for high performers, athletes, and professionals who feel like they always have to be on.
Here's something worth sitting with: you would not hesitate to take a day off for a fever or a sprained ankle. Your mental and emotional health deserves the same consideration. Burnout, anxiety, and chronic stress are real, and they have real consequences if you ignore them.
You don't owe anyone a detailed explanation. If you need to notify your employer, keeping it simple is fine. "I'm not feeling well and need to take a sick day" is a complete sentence.
What a Mental Health Day Is Not
A mental health day is not a substitute for ongoing care. If you're finding that one day off doesn't touch how you're feeling, or that you're needing to take them frequently just to keep up, that's usually a signal that something deeper needs attention.
That's not a criticism. It's actually useful information. Persistent anxiety, burnout, feelings of inadequacy, or difficulty managing pressure under performance expectations are the kinds of things that respond really well to therapy.
How to Make the Most of the Recovery
When you come back after your day off, pay attention to what helped. Did the movement make a difference? Did the quiet time feel restoring, or did it leave you feeling more anxious? Did you spend too much time on your phone?
Noticing what works for you is how you get better at taking care of yourself over time. It's a skill, not a fixed trait. Some people have to practice it the way they practice anything else.
When It's Time to Talk to Someone
If you're a professional, an athlete, or someone who holds yourself to a high standard, you already know what it feels like to push through when things get hard. That quality serves you in a lot of ways. But it can also make it harder to recognize when you need a different kind of support.
At Empower Mental Fitness in Long Beach, Rena Trujillo works with athletes and professionals who are dealing with performance anxiety, burnout, work-related stress, and the pressure that comes with trying to operate at a high level. Sessions are available in person at 1 World Trade Center in downtown Long Beach, or via telehealth throughout California.
If you've been running on empty and one day off isn't cutting it, it may be time to talk. Reach out at (818) 583-7269 or visit empowermentalfitness.com to schedule a session.
Rena Trujillo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Long Beach, CA, specializing in sports psychology, executive career counseling, and performance-based anxiety. She earned her MSW from USC and has over 10 years of experience in the mental health field.