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Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Take A Mental Health Day
If the pandemic taught us anything, it was how important our mental health is to our overall well-being. Due to the stigma and misconceptions attached to the idea of mental health, many people still struggle to talk about the issue openly. However, increasing awareness about the subject has helped people to talk about it and seek treatment. Everyone has a bad day once in a while, but if it happens too often and affects your personal and professional life, it’s essential to address the issue. Mental health illness is a lot more prevalent than you would think. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five American adults have a mental illness, with the diagnosis of anxiety disorders being the highest at 19%. So, you’re not alone in this.
If you ignore your mental health symptoms for too long, you’re likely to turn to “unhealthy coping mechanisms” like drugs and alcohol to numb the pain, per Port St. Lucie Hospital. Instead of getting better, you can develop an addiction that could lead to co-occurring disorders. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes co-occurring disorders as “the coexistence of both a mental illness and a substance use disorder,” where you will need treatment for both.
