In today’s fast-paced, hustle-driven culture, the idea of taking a “mental health day” has become increasingly accepted and even encouraged. Employers are beginning to recognize the toll chronic stress and emotional fatigue take on productivity, and many individuals are learning to prioritize their well-being by occasionally stepping away from work, school, or responsibilities. On the surface, taking a day to rest, recharge, and reset seems like a powerful act of self-care. But beneath the growing popularity lies a deeper question: Do mental health days make a lasting difference? Do they even work for just the day?

While a day off may provide short-term relief, many people return to the same overwhelming environments, unresolved personal issues, and emotional burnout that prompted the break in the first place. In some cases, mental health days become more of a coping mechanism than a solution — a temporary pause that masks the need for deeper reflection, support, or systemic change. Here’s the paradoxical downside.

Rumination

Taking the day off without a plan can lead to rumination, the process of continuously thinking about or revisiting the same thoughts or feelings, typically unpleasant ones, without reaching a solution. The brain’s focal point is distress resolution. If there are lingering worries or unresolved concerns, the brain’s tendency to spin and continuously revisit unpleasant topics is an attempt to problem-solve. In some ways, rumination can feel productive (eg. the more I think about this, the closer I will be to a solution), but the truth is it only further facilitates anxiety or stress.

Emotional Stagnation

Mental health days are intended to provide rest, relaxation, and a break from current stressors. Often this can lead to stagnating behaviors such as binge-watching shows, mindlessly scrolling on social media, or laying on the couch all day. These behaviors may initially feel comforting, but they actually lead to emotional numbing or emotional stagnation. This is a state of avoidance where emotions are unprocessed, and tension lingers. By the end of the evening, individuals report feeling worse due to the lack of “active rest” and the anticipation of returning to previous stressors.

Decreases in Frustration Tolerance

Perhaps one of the most challenging concerns of mental health days is the unintentional decrease in frustration tolerance, our ability to sit with discomfort and work through emotionally difficult situations. While mental health days are often viewed as an act of self-care, there is potential risk that if they are used primarily as a means of escape, instead of a pause, they can subtly reinforce a message to our nervous system that we are incapable of handling stress. Over time, this may lead to a pattern where even mild stressors feel overwhelming, because we’ve conditioned ourselves to cope by stepping away rather than leaning in. In essence, we may begin to “teach ourselves” that stress is something to avoid rather than manage. This avoidance, while soothing or comforting in the short term, can hinder long-term emotional flexibility or resiliency. The more we disengage from stress when it arises, the more likely we are to default to retreat as a coping mechanism. This can create a feedback loop where discomfort becomes increasingly intolerable, and our capacity for resilience dwindles.

However, taking a break isn’t inherently wrong or bad. In fact, taking strategic pauses can be crucial for mental health, but it’s how we view the break and what we do during that time that matters. Here’s how to get the most out of a mental health day:

1. Before choosing to take a mental health day, teach your brain that other options come first. Before stepping away, try using at least 3 different stress management coping skills throughout your regular day. By doing this, you’re reinforcing your brain’s ability to regulate stress in the moment and showing yourself that you can actively participate in your own emotional regulation. If, after trying multiple tools, you’re still feeling overwhelmed, then a mental health day might be the next best step, taken not from avoidance, but from awareness.
2. Go to therapy. Actively processing stressors during a mental health day can be an excellent way to understand root causes of stressors as well as coming up with an action plan on how to navigate.
3. Take a break with intention. What do you need most? Physical rest, connection to others, creativity, etc… Taking a break with intention on your mental health day will allow you to maximize the type of rest or rejuvenation you need most while preventing mental and emotional stagnation.
4. Set limits on distraction. Paradoxically, sometimes we do need a distraction or an escape. The catch is to make sure the entire day does not turn into a distraction or avoidance attempt. Plan your distractions and set time limits.
5. Create an action plan for the following days. There may be little purpose in taking a mental health day if there is no plan on how to tackle the following days. Chances are the stressors that led to the mental health day will still be there after. Take time to plan out tangible action steps, ways to cope with predictable stressors, and create positive reinforcers or rewards for appropriate management.
6. Exercise. The coping skill we love to hate. One of the most effective ways to combat stress is exercise. Even just 30 minutes of exercise per day can significantly reduce cortisol levels and increase endorphins leading to reduction in stress and overall mental well-being.
7. Do one thing that brings you joy. Go out in nature, get a massage, create art, listen to music, etc.. Engaging in activities that bring joy offsets stress and leads to better stress management.

Overall, mental health days can be quite helpful, but only if utilized properly. They need to be approached with structure, intention, and a plan, otherwise they can quickly turn into a temporary bandage that can reinforce avoidance, emotional stagnation, and decreased resilience. Ultimately, it’s not just about taking a break, but more so a designated paused to strengthen our capacity to return to life feeling rested, rejuvenated, and ready to manage stressors.