r/antiwork • u/No-Link3199 • 1d ago
Question / Advice❓️❔️ Do you take Mental Health days?
Do you take mental health days and how do you tell your supervisor?
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u/neverenoughpurple 1d ago
My supervisors encourage it and live it, they don't just SAY it. I found the unicorn.
Having come from a long history of toxic workplaces, it's been incredibly difficult to wrap my head around and just accept that these are really, really good people.
If we're taking a day, no matter what the reason, we just email it in to a particular address. No questions asked, thanked for letting them know, and if you elaborate/explain at all, the reaction is sympathy/support/an offer to help, depending on what is most appropriate.
Been there nearly a year now and I'm believing they mean what they say.
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u/Vox_Mortem 1d ago
I work at a nonprofit like this and I spent that whole first year waiting for the ulterior motives or a knife in the back, but they never came. I'm on year 3 and I am still amazed by how different this place is from my last jobs.
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u/elvbierbaum 1d ago
Same. I tell my boss "I need a mental break. taking today off." and she says "okay. see you tomorrow. hope all is well"
Once I was mid-panic attack during my work day. Messaged her I needed to log out the rest of the day as I was having a panic attack. she said "go rest. see you tomorrow".
Been here almost 18 years now.
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u/PresentAd4473 20h ago
You’re living the absolute dream!!!! 🥲
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u/neverenoughpurple 13h ago
It really is. It's a mundane job, which I wanted - it's keeping my bills paid while I work on creative endeavors/my own business & spend time with my granddaughter - and I legit get to be treated not just like an adult, but *nicely*, while listening to headphones, taking my breaks when I want, eating and drinking when I want... and if I need a mental health day, or just to take an extra 15, it's truly no big deal.
It's SO weird and wonderful.
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u/astr0bleme 1d ago
Absolutely. My mom trained me to do this from a young age. It's just a sick day: you just call in sick.
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u/AnywhereTrees 1d ago
I just did yesterday. Life's short and you literally can't do your Job without the proper Mental Health. Be unapologetic about it. Be selfish about it. Always look out for #1: You.
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u/goneafter10years 1d ago
I do, and the only thing I do is inform my boss I'm taking a day off.
I don't request days off, I'm not in grade school.
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u/Livid-Fix-462 1d ago
Sure but we get hit with a point for taking a sick day.
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u/Lady_Paks 23h ago
My work implemented a point system that actually screws them more than us. Basically each occurrence is a point but you can take up to 3 days off in a row and it still counts as 1. You get up to 11 points before you are fired. So if I do need a day for a migraine or something minor that would normally only warrant 1 day off it actually makes more sense for me to take 3 so I am getting my points worth. We are client facing so this system is really bad for staffing lmao.
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u/Stay_At_Home_Cat_Dad 1d ago
We have a point system at my work, so no need to give an excuse. I'll call and leave a message that I won't be in.
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u/Stratoraptor 1d ago
I generally don't take sick days. I've taken exactly 1 MH day on all my years in the workforce. The day before I was dismissed an hour early after an anger incident. It was for the best. Not taking an MH day when you think you need it can make things worse for other workers or clients/customers. If it may cost you your job, then chances are that they were thinking about firing you any way. What they don't need is having you crash out while on the clock.
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u/mdbrown80 1d ago
Yeah, but you have to call them something different. Either personal days or sick days, depending on what you have left.
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u/Infinite-Garbage3243 1d ago
"Hi, this is Infinite-Garbage, I'm not feeling well and I won't be in today. Thank you, goodbye."
Been using this script for years. Works especially well if you're leaving a voicemail.
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u/blewberyBOOM 1d ago
Yes and kind of. I have a set number of “wellness” days and I am allowed to take them for whatever I need having to do with my health and wellness, including mental health. That being said I don’t usually tell my supervisor the exact reason I’m taking a sick day. I just say I need a wellness day and he approves it. This is true whether it’s mental health, physical health, doctors appt. I don’t feel the need to justify it.
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u/SilentDis Anarcho-Communist 1d ago
Yes. My supervisor encourages people to take them. You won't work well if you are torched - 'losing' a day of your work is nothing in the grand scheme of it all. You'll be better at your job if you're mentally fit to perform it.
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u/yourpersonalhuman 1d ago
I live in india, we don't have mental health days lol. Just allowed to have 2 offs every month.
I wish my country knew the meaning of mental health.
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u/Meme_Titans 1d ago
Yes. Today and tomorrow are mental health days. I once made the mistake of telling my supervisor in advance that I’d take a mental health day and he had HR change the sick leave to vacation leave. So now any time I’m gone, I’m just sick
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u/ColorfulChameleon245 18h ago
Yes, when I'm sick of my job I absolutely take sick days for my mental health. The burnout is real. For me, the mental exhaustion is more tolling on my body than being physically sick
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u/creegro 1d ago
I used to but not so much anymore. Unless I haven't slept at all cause of reasons, I can nap a little longer into my shift and make it up later.
Cause, no one really calls me for shit anymore, and it's nice. Old manager would call me if I didn't show any movement for 30 or 60 minutes. But now as long as my tickets don't have an outstanding ETA no one really bugs me about anything.
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u/Brilliant_Hippo_3131 1d ago
100%. I just say I'm not feeling well, what is actually wrong is not their business. Pretty sure here in Australia they are not even allowed to ask.
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u/NoLimitsNegus 1d ago
I guess if like my dad or siblings or dog dies but like if I don’t do work I don’t get paid, and my rent/bills don’t care if I’m sad so I stay on the “anger” setting and power through
Arf arf nothing like screaming in your car and shower
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u/TheLonelySnail 1d ago
If I didn’t I’d lose it.
When I was hourly, just call off
Now I’m salaried and if I need one, I just take it
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u/ThrowawaySunnyLane 1d ago
I take days off when I see fit. And your supervisor don’t need to know what you’re doing.
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u/PedestalPotato 1d ago
Yes. I'm fortunate that my employer actually respects us. He also knows burning us out is a workplace injury waiting to happen so he's very proactive with reminding his technicians to rest and take days off when needed.
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u/Other-Sir4707 1d ago
No cause I use my sick days to take care of my kids when they don't feel well, leaving me with a zero leave balance. I go to work sick and I go to work in pain. I wish I had pto.
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u/MehKarma 1d ago
No, because I’d rather be paid to be miserable. I reality I’m afraid if I had a Ferris level day off I’d like it, and burn up all my time.
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u/iiimperatrice 1d ago
I personally don't. I wish I could but I only have so much PTO and my family lives in another state so I use almost all my PTO per year to travel to go see them.
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u/EPCOpress 1d ago
Yes. I also, I also call in "well." As in "I feel too good to be at work." Though I tell them Im sick of course.
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u/FoodNerd7920 1d ago
I don’t actually say “mental health day”. I usually email my team first thing in the morning and tell them I’ll need to take a sick day. No explanation or reason given. And turn off your email notifications on your phone - you need this time for yourself.
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u/bahamapapa817 1d ago
I would say no only because of how my job is set up. I work 4-tens. I’m off Friday Saturday and Sunday. Out of the 4 days I work from home two of those. I am not one of those go getters, fast risers. I do my job and when it’s done I’m done. I have a healthy balance of extra curriculars such as basketball, my videography and traveling that I don’t compromise. On top of that my job is not crazy busy on a regular basis. I genuinely enjoy my work so I don’t feel like I need to “take a mental day”
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u/HustlaOfCultcha 1d ago
I have and I work remotely from home. I don't try to take them because it does feel a bit like a waste of PTO for me. But breaking that mindset I do feel that you should be keenly aware of your mental health and when your brain is too stressed out or whatever...take that mental health day.
I don't try to get too involved with what I call 'psycho mumbo-jumbo', but my mindset of mental health days being a waste of PTO never considered the fact that there are far more stresses involved with work today than say 30 or 40 years ago. It's easy to sit there and say that 'well my grandparents didn't take mental health days!' but the environment and circumstances were completely different back then. It's not like they had it easy, but it was different...particularly from a mental health perspective.
I started to realize the importance of mental health days after I kept getting badly burned out at every job I worked at. The first couple of years at a job would be fine, then year three would hit and I just wanted to escape and be anywhere else besides where I was at. And quite frankly, I didn't know if that stress and being burned out would lead to something even more disastrous. So now I take that mental health day when I feel I need it.
I don't tell my boss that I need a mental health day because of the stigma around that. I just tell them that I'm calling in sick. To me it's no different than having a bad back, upset stomach or a head cold.
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u/corkbeverly 1d ago
mental health is health. The mind and the body are very much linked. NOT ever taking time for mental health could result in physical health ailments later.
No need for your manager to receive detail as to why you don't feel well. Its not like if you had a physical illness you'd tell them the details of your explosive diarrhea. Just say "Good morning boss, I am not feeling well today and am going to take a sick day" assuming you do have sick days to take.
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u/revchewie 1d ago
I send a message in Teams saying, "I'm not feeling well so I'm staying home today."
That's it. They don't need any more details.
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u/Admirable-Gate-2557 23h ago
Y'all stop answering these. There was also a "How often do you take sick days?" question and I'm highly suspecting that this sub is being farmed for AI prompts. SHHH.
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u/Emeraldstorm3 22h ago
Yes...
But, I've had to get some papers completed due to my employer trying to make problems about it, which should protect me. First, they announced in January that more than 5 days in a year may lead to "reviews" (and penalties) and now with the paperwork on file they're trying to get me to jump through more hoops, saying it's "unclear" even though it's their damn form and they may need to re-evaluate if my current position is "too taxing" (code for they'll move me to a shitty spot, where I'll just fucking quit) and I need to get a doctor's letter to "clarify" but my doctor says he's done what he needs to. It's some real bullshit and I'm actually getting furious about it.
I'd love to rid myself, and others, of the pests that are employers/capitalists. A real nuisance. A burden to life.
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u/lotusflower_3 19h ago
Absolutely!!!!!!
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u/lotusflower_3 19h ago
I tell my supervisor that I will need such and such day off. I don’t ask. I tell.
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u/iEugene72 16h ago
My job DOES actually allow this, but it's kinda filed under just a regular sick day.
I have a very unicorn job and honestly I think by this point if I ever lose it, I'll just shoot myself. I'm not paid well, but it's VERY hard to get fired from my job.
I've thought often in total fear about having to go back to a job that doesn't care about me at all, and I truly think I'd buy a gun and just end my own life alone in my apartment if I lose the job I currently have.
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u/Tav00001 1d ago
My work has a portal that I am supposed to put myself out sick in online. If we do it more than 3 days we must produce a doctors note.
I sometimes call in sick, but most often I have to use sick days on days for example wehre the plumber is coming and I need a day off immediately.
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u/emryldmyst 1d ago
It's counted as a sick day.
I haven't taken mental health days lol good grief
I suck it up till I get off and my days off.
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u/OneLow7646 1d ago
No because it just piles work up and I feel horrible the entire day because I'm just making things worse for everyone else.
They're a neat concept but really only apply to busy body jobs that only need an hour of actual work a day
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u/GratuitousSadism 1d ago
A sick day is a sick day. Managing your mental health is every bit as important as managing physical health. When I call in, I say I am sick. Nobody needs to know anything more than that.