Mental Health Breaks

Some of you may have noticed (which I am so humbled that some of you did), but yesterday was the first time since The Fall from Grace launched that I skipped a Monday post.

I typically have a plan for the post by Saturday. Sunday is when initial ideas are thrown on a page. Monday is the meat of the writing. But yesterday I needed something of a ‘mental health break,’ which few of us care to recognize for its importance. I “used up my spoons” for the week too early on, and my natural introversion took over. I needed a break from being my known energetic self. Learn about the “Spoon Theory” here: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

I touched on the idea of a “break” in a previous post about combating stress, but today I want to really emphasize the importance of a real mental health break.

When you’re tired, you sleep. When you smell, you take a shower. When you’re hungry, you eat. And when you’re pissed at someone, you stop talking to them.

Whatever the case may be, we are wired to satisfy our most basic needs. However, satisfying those basic needs becomes clouded by things like stress or grief or abuse. And for a lot of us who tend to overcommit, stress is the most prominent factor that onsets the need for a mental health break.

You know the feeling. You’ve finished one homework assignment just to find out you’re late on another one. So you finish that one right after. Then you have a new assignment the next day. And a test to study for. And you have to work an extra shift at work. And then you have a club meeting. Then the test comes and you haven’t studied a bit. You pull an all-nighter, then you take the test and crash later, just to do it all over again.

When you are stressed, stress needs to be alleviated. When you prolong the stress without satisfying your body’s basic needs, you can potentially “crash.” Which is why mental health breaks are so important. You don’t run a marathon and then get up to run another one the day after. Rest matters for your body, so why are our minds any different?

Resting your mind doesn’t simply mean going to sleep. It means separating yourself from the stress, detaching and pressing “reset” for your body and mind’s sanctity.

Mental health breaks look different from person to person. For me, it means cutting myself off from everyone and sitting in bed with a cup of hot chocolate while watching my favorite movie for the hundredth time. I might paint. Or shower and pluck my brows to perfection for an hour. The point is to give my mind a rest. Let it reset. Recharge for the days ahead.

Burnout, especially in young people, can be prevented. More and more, employers and schools recognize the importance of taking a break and offering mental health days for work and education. Sick leave is for the physical body to repair itself. Mental health is equally, if not more important.

Because stress can manifest physically. Here’s to your dark circles. And acne. And white hairs.

Separate from the stress when your body tells you to! You know the warning signs better than anyone. Mental health matters. So give yourself a break.