Do You Take Mental Health Days Off Work?

I recently ran into this piece from SmartMoney magazine that talks about the need for small business owners to take mental health time away from their business. Whether this translates into days off, a specific time where business is not done or certain activities that help them unwind, the piece suggests (and I agree) that we all need regular times of rest and refreshment.

And though most of us aren't small business owners, we still need mental health days, don't we? Maybe this is called "the weekend" for many, but sometimes Saturday and Sunday can be as packed as Monday through Friday. And, as such, maybe you just need some time to do nothing at all.

Which leads me to my question:

Do you take mental health days off work?

In other words, are there days you simply call in sick or take a vacation day just to refresh yourself? Do you do so often? If so, how often?

I have both vacation days and personal time (used for sick days, doctors' appointments and the like) in my job but I don't need to take any of them just to detox. I'm in a great company and job that I completely enjoy, so for me it's often more relaxing going to work than almost anything else.

But I've had the opposite situation in my work career too. I've HAD to take a day off here and there just to keep my sanity. It's not a great place to be and if the pressure had kept up, I probably would have bolted. But usually it's just temporary -- one of those things you have to work through.

So what about you?

Comments

[Edmund]

I am relatively new in the field that I am currently working in. I spend a lot of my free time "studying" on work related stuff. Sometimes people tell me I need to take a timeout from work.

I'm still doing fine so far :)

[andrew g]

I could only wish extra days off. I would even do it without pay. I have 3 weeks which is quickly eaten up by holidays and whatever.

[Stupid Gossip for Smart People]

I take 2-3 days like this a year.

[Jo]

I work in the ministry field where I get comp time so it's fairly easy for me to take off time here and there when I need it, plus workshops and retreats can be considered work-related! (That's one nice thing about working in the ministry field!!)

[Zachary]

I take some down time whenver I get overwhelmed by trying to write a dissertation and manage a heavy teaching load all at the same time. Both teaching and writing are work that one must bring home with himself, so it is hard to leave work at work, so to speak.

[Bronco]

you are getting spammed a bunch by the 411 clown

[plonkee]

I take days off and use them for nothing much. Sometimes its becuase I have extra days off that I need to use up. I don't deliberately take them to refresh myself, but that is what they do.

[zen]

The most I've taken off in the past four years has been a 2 day stretch for illness and five days for my honeymoon. This year I've got way too much vacation stock piled so I plan on taking more time off (no incentive to "sock it away" as it were).

[jos]

i wish i could take "mental health days", i guess i could i just don't get paid time off, crazy right, 4 years of college and 5 or so years of "working my way up" and my company doesn't value me enough for paid time off... grr, anyways if i had the option i would take them if i need them for mental health reasons or if i was going to loose them.

[tinyhands]

I'm afraid I don't have enough paid time off to justify burning a day without a good reason. My PTO includes sick time and is equivalent to 2 weeks vacation + 4 sick days. Unlike my boss, I actually take my vacation time though, and I plan very carefully so as not to waste it.

However, my company just switched to a 9/80 "alternate work week" schedule which now gives me every other Friday off. I plan on taking full advantage of that!

[guinness416]

"Mental health days". Yup, I certainly do this, as does most everyone I've ever worked with (consulting field, construction industry). I think sick days being ennumerated/allocated up front like tinyhands mentions is the biggest scam, by the way. On moving from Europe I was somewhat prepared for the slave-labour-level vacation allowance, but was amazed by that. Thankfully my current employer doesn't engage in such nonsense.