Photo by Xavier Sotomayor on Unsplash
As a sophomore in college, I’ve experienced unimaginable amounts of stress. I thought I was stressed when I was in high school, but if I knew then what I know now, I would’ve never complained. I’ve been tasked with assignments on top of exams and every other thing college students have to go through. And like other college students I find myself overwhelmed with stress quite often. When I get overwhelmed I tend to shut down. No work can actually get done and that ends up making me more stressed. And sometimes I just need a day to myself. A day just to lay in bed and gather myself back to my usual self and to regain control of myself. And when I do realize I’ve gotten to this point I take a mental health day. Here are some points that let me know it’s time to take a personal day:
You don’t get much sleep.
You’ve been going to bed late and not sleeping many hours for a couple days now. This is either adding to your stress or stemming from it. You need rest to be at your best self so getting little to no sleep on a daily basis is a sign it may be time for you to take a break and sleep in.
You’re irritable all the time.
Does it seem like you’ve been in a bad mood for the last few days? Does everything and everybody seem to be getting on your last nerve? That’s most likely because the stress has taken over. Stress has a way of taking over all your other emotions and turning it into the worst. When it gets like this it’s best to take time for yourself. Do something you love. Get your nails done, get your hair done, read a new book, anything. Just take some time for yourself.
You find it hard to get out of bed.
When you do finally get a good night’s rest, you don’t actually want to get out of bed. Not in the way that your sleep was so good you want to continue it, but in the way you dread getting out of bed. You have to literally drag yourself out of bed. This is a sign it might be good for you to stay in bed or to get up and take a walk or exercise a little. This may also be a sign of something larger happening so look out for it happening more than a couple times.
Lastly, a thing to remember when taking a mental health day: It is okay to take time for yourself. Missing one day of classes isn’t going to be the end of the world. Taking care of yourself is a priority especially in a stress-filled environment like college.