How to really take time off for your mental health and make it count!

Because the best word to describe 2020 is stress with about 100 S’s at the end of it, there’s a good chance you could use a break right about now. But taking time off for mental health can be scary if it’s your first time since, for some reason, there it’s still looked down on to take days off to get your mind right. To help, here’s when you need mental health leave and how to make the most of it.

• Should You Take Leave? Psychiatrist W. Nate Upshaw says that if you’re feeling signs of burnout, you might not need time off, but rather, a change of scenery. He says he asks his clients to try and talk with their boss, transfer to a different department, or find another way to change their situation or perspective. But if you’re working with a therapist or physician and they tell you to take an extended leave for your mental health, the next step should be to figure out if your employer even offers mental health leave.
• Family and Medical Leave Act. If HR tells you the company doesn’t provide mental health leave, remind them of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Amongst other things, this allows employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for serious medical conditions if they’ve worked for your employer for at least 12 months for a company with 50 or more employees. Some states also have paid programs as well and you should look into if your leave would be covered by short-term or long-term disability insurance. It’s a lot of legwork up front but it’s best to try and make money one less thing to stress about on your break.
• What Should You Do During Your Time Off? The executive director ofNorthwestern Medicine’s Osher Center for Integrative MedicineMelinda Ring says to maximize your mental health break you should be creating a detailed plan and sticking to it. Ring suggests “setting up a daily and weekly schedule of goals and appointments to help someone keep on track without getting overwhelmed.” Just remember, this isn’t a vacation. This is a commitment to getting your mental health back on track.

Source:HuffPost