10 Things To Do During Your Mental Health Break
Mental health breaks are important to take. Burnouts are real and it can take a toll on you. Taking a mental health break can relieve stress, help you process your emotions and it can help you come back stronger than ever. It’s so important to take care of yourself and taking a break isn’t a bad thing. Before we get into the 10 things to do during your mental health break let me explain where I have been.
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Where Have I Been?
I haven’t blogged in a while and I never expected to take this much time off. It was a well needed break and should’ve taken this break sooner than later. If you are not aware I lost my best friend in a tragic accident in April of 2021 and a month after I got right back into work, writing and streaming on twitch. I was on the go so I didn’t let myself really feel it and all the emotions hit me at the beginning of this year.
It really set me back and I didn’t expect my grief to hit me that hard. I stopped everything and was too anxious to do anything. Everything was overwhelming and I was in this cycle of being anxious that I wasn’t blogging but being too depressed to bring myself to do it. I didn’t have any goals anymore and I was planning on doing a New Year’s resolutions post but I didn’t have any motivation. At that time absolutely nothing could get me to think about goals; it felt like it didn’t matter.
My motivation took a while to come back. Some of the things that helped me are on this list. I’m in a much better place with my mental health now and I’m so happy about it. I hope that this list can help whoever is in this position and needs a mental health break. So let’s get into the 10 things to do during your mental health break.
10 Things To Do During Your Mental Health Break
Create A Routine
Getting into a routine can help a lot with your mental health. The reason is that It keeps you on a schedule. You know what to expect to do everyday and it can make your day easier. I say to start off small and to slowly add more things to your schedule. Having a routine can eventually lead to motivation. If you want to, make a to-do list and check things off the list. You can see all the things that you have done and you can physically see what you have accomplished and it can make you feel better.Having a schedule helped me a lot. I need structure to get me through the day. If I don’t I would just stay in bed all day and I would feel bad that I wasn’t doing anything. So creating a routine makes you feel productive.
Get Active
Doing physical activities can help relieve stress. Go to the gym, take a walk or even do some yoga. This is something that can be added to your routine. Working out can help with depression and anxiety by releasing endorphins that make you feel good and motivated.
I was always active growing up and I didn’t realize how much it helped with my mental health. When I was in college I was on a dance team, when I quit I had to start going to the gym to help with my mental health and before that I did Krav Maga for a summer. I haven’t been active for a while since I was diagnosed with Grave’s disease. However, I started going on walks and exercising at the gym and it feels so good.
Do Something Creative
When you are in a funk doing something creative can help. Try painting, drawing or even crocheting. You can put all of your emotions in your creative project or it can be a mindless activity to distract yourself. A perfect project would be a paint by numbers. They provide the paint for you and it is easy. I will leave some links to some cheap paint by number paintings(not an affiliate link)
The creative project that I did was renovating my mom’s house. I was painting the walls, sanding down cabinets doors and redoing the bathrooms. This helped me so much during my depression because I felt like I had a purpose. I had something to do and I could see the results of my efforts and it made me feel like I accomplished something.
Connect With Friends
This is the time to connect with your friends. Even though you have a lot going on, don’t try to push yourself away from your friends. Your friends are supposed to be there when you are going through something and they can give you advice. I know that you might feel like a burden but that’s your anxiety talking to you. So go out and make plans with your friends
Take Yourself On A Solo Date
Treat yourself. Take yourself out to brunch, the beach or even the movies. During this time you need to reconnect with yourself and find out what you like on your own.
When you’re in a bad place mentally you can unintentionally meet people that are trying to take advantage of you. The way to avoid that is by treating yourself well so that when someone else comes in you know what to expect.
Talk To A Therapist
Talking to a therapist can help a lot during your mental health break. It’s so important to talk to a professional about your problems, you shouldn’t be going through it alone. They can help you process your emotions and uncover things you didn’t realize was a problem.
I’ve been going to therapy on and off for a couple of years and after my friend passed away I did therapy again. It helped me with my grief, family stuff and it also helped me figure out why I felt like I couldn’t succeed with my blog. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford it when I was going through my mental health break and it was definitely the reason why it took me longer to get out of my funk. So if you can afford it you should go and if you are in college it is free so take advantage of it.
Write I A Journal
Now if you can’t afford therapy an alternative is writing all of your thoughts in a journal. Writing can help you process your emotions. You can also look back in your journal to see how far you have come.
I got myself a journal and it helped me so much. I used to make my own self help journal and made my own activities to do when I was in a rough space. This time I just used my journal as a diary. Do whatever works for you to process this rough time.
Reorganize Your Space
Whenever my room is a mess my life is a mess so what helps me is cleaning up the space. However if that is not enough I know that it’s time to make a change in the room. Reorganizing your room gives you a fresh start because it feels like a completely new place.
I mentioned before that I helped my mom redecorate her house as a project and the room that I haven’t done is my own. I’ve been planning on moving for a while and felt like there was no point in changing it. But I’m unhappy with it so I think it’s time for a change.
Get Some Rest
I think this is the most important thing to do during your mental health break. When you are constantly on the go you don’t realize how much sleep you need until your body shuts down. During my mental health break I felt bad about sleeping in but I realized that I needed it. Sleep is so important to your mental health because our bodies need to recharge so we can function.
Set Some Goals
At the beginning of my mental health break I couldn’t bring myself to think about goals. So many things had happened that I wasn’t motivated. I never thought I was going to be at the place to set goals again and I’m glad that I am now. It’s hard but it takes time.
You should try to set realistic goals that you can accomplish. If it’s too big of a goal you’re going to set yourself back because you think you can’t achieve them. You’ll eventually be able to reach the big goal but take baby steps. Don’t try to rush it. Make your goals and create a plan to implement them.
Thank You For Reading!
I hope this list of 10 things to do during your mental health break helps you out. I want to let you know that you are not alone. It’s okay to take a break; your mental health comes first. Remember your mental health will always go up and down because it’s a journey not a destination. Take care!
So happy that you’re working through it after the burn out, some never come back from it. Keep going queen take things one day at a time.
Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it!
I’m so glad you took time for yourself. I needed this post because a break is much needed right now. I just told a friend this + then saw this – definitely sending to her. Is it crazy that I’m sitting here like yep, I’ll take a break in a week, create some goals + come back + crush them? We constantly push the break off. Imma do it lol.
I’m so glad this resonated with you. It’s definitely okay to take a break. I feel like when I do I come back stronger. Wishing you well!
I understand what it feels like to lose a loved one; it is never easy. Glad you are doing better. Thanks for sharing these awesome tips. Love that you advocate for your readers to go see a Therapist.
Yeah it’s definitely hard to go through. I definitely advocate for therapy especially with having my degree in psychology. I appreciate all of your kind words 💗