It has been shown that mental health was a concept that was not talked much before the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries suffered from months of lockdowns and curfews. It got very difficult for people to stay at home the whole time. Social distancing, work from home, zoom meetings, online school were some completely new things during that time. It took a while for people to get accustomed to it, but after some time such things became the “new normal” for everyone. However, after a certain time it started getting monotonous. Consequently, people started having mental health issues and frequent burnouts. In a study, it was noted that 55% of French residents reported feeling burnt out and of those, 73% of residents had no medical history but had a history of depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Many athletes like Liz Cambage and Ben Stokes have taken a mental health break at the very peak of their career.
What is a mental health break?
A mental health break is basically when you feel you are exhausted from your work or studies. Even though experienced by most people, many are not much aware about it. People who work might get tired of the monotonous routine and sometimes even inflexible working hours. Students suffered from burnout in the pandemic due to online mode of learning. Everyone deserves a break at some point of time. The length of the mental health break might be different for each person. Some might just require a break for a few minutes or hours. While others might need a break for the weekend or for a month. When one starts experiencing the symptoms of burnout, it is very important to become aware of it and take a break. Identifying and reshaping stressors is an important step to keep in mind while deciding to go on a break. It is simply said that during this break, one should do something that genuinely makes them happy. This might include meeting friends, a walk to the beach, reading a book, going on a vacation, or even spending some time in establishing new habits.
What can one do on their Mental Health Break ?
Based on past studies, one can consider doing the following activities during their break.
Set Habits - In the words of John Dryden, “We make our habits and then our habits make us.” Today everyone wants instant gratification. Very few believe that success comes in hand once we set good habits. Research shows that establishing new habits can promote psychological and mental well being.
Travel - Traveling opens your mind, broadens your mindset and makes you learn about other people and their culture. Studies have shown evidence for the restorative benefits of taking a short vacation.
Meditate - There are many myths about meditation. While meditating, you get more aware of your surroundings. Once you are aware, you tend to gain more perspective and it helps you to remain focused in the present.
Explore new options - Since you have taken a break from what you usually do, you have a lot of time in hand to explore and try out new options. Something like signing up for that dance workshop you always wanted to, learning a musical instrument, or even going for French class.
Proper sleep and food - Research shows that good food and nutrition improves our mental well being. More than that, having meals on time and in a good portion is also very essential. Sleep improves memory, helps you remember better. It also affects our anxiety. A good sleep results in a balance of stress and anxiety levels.
Believe in yourself - Make sure that you trust yourself first. The break is for you to get rejuvenated. Everyone deserves a break and some people still end up feeling guilty about it. Once the break is over, you will be able to work more effectively.
A mental health break is to recover from work stress; hence to prevent a burnout. By making huge to-do lists and trying to accomplish everything, you are just going to make your life more stressful. Some simple tasks like having a good eight hours of sleep, reorganizing your closet, going for walks, spending time with family can also help to pause and relax for some time. For some days, stop checking your emails and spend more time with yourself.
Shreeti Nathwani
