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Mental health and self-care have become much bigger conversations since the pandemic significantly changed how we live and work. In this episode, Jen explains the concept of a Doona Day, a self-care day to take when those daily stressors are tipping you over the edge, and you need a time out. If you’re finding that you’re not sleeping well, are short and snappy, and dreading Monday it might be time for a Doona Day!

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SHOWNOTES

Mental health has become a much bigger conversations since the pandemic significantly changed how we live and work. We hear more and more about the importance of self-care – and one method of this is the Doona Day.

So, what is a Doona Day?

A Doona Day is a Mental Health Day, and it’s a fantastic initiative that works to reduce the stigma around mental health issues, increase community knowledge and promote mental wellbeing. In 2016, HSBC in Australia trialled ‘Doona Days’, and 1,400 of 1,800 staff took one up.

Our mental health is more important than our physical health

Our thoughts create our feelings, which create our actions, which impact our health.

Here’s something interesting. Our recent study of 2,000 adults revealed that the average adult will say “I’m fine” 14 times per week. Yet only 19% actually mean it. As you may have heard, ‘fine’ often stands for ‘Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional’.

We want people to open up about their feelings and bring back meaning to daily conversations, which starts by saying how you really are. So, if you aren’t fine, say, “I’m feeling crappy, and I’m doing something about it”.

An interesting workplace trend

Our workday changed significantly in 2020 with the pandemic, with so many working from home. Interestingly, sick days are going DOWN during the coronavirus pandemic as workers opt for ‘Doona Days’ over personal leave.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics absenteeism figures shows that sick leave fell dramatically from April through to August. In April, absenteeism fell by 30 per cent compared with the same month the year before.

While working from home was not defined in the statistics as contributing to this, I think it has to be – don’t you?

So, now for the big question…

How do you know if you need a Doona Day?

You’re suddenly not sleeping well or have developed insomnia.
You can’t shake last week’s stress.
You are dreading Monday
You’re short and snappy with people. You just give the look.
You’ve got the ‘too hards’. You feel a general sense of apathy and don’t care about your work.

How you can look after your mental health

Are those daily stressors starting to tip you over the edge? Here are some things you can do to help yourself BEFORE it gets the better of you:

Learn to recognise when you need time out. Prevention is better than a cure – day-to-day stress compounds.
Remember, work isn’t all there is to life. When working from home, it takes more discipline to walk away from work
If you take a Doona Day, don’t sleep all day. While the name implies it, sleeping all day will mess with your internal clock and make you feel worse.
Do something relaxing and enjoyable such as gentle exercise, read a book, see a funny movie or reconnect with a friend.

Healthy Life Hacks

So, the healthy life hacks I want to leave you with today are:

Check-in. How are you really feeling?
Learn to talk about how you really feel when asked. Don’t just say, “I’m fine”
Think about a Doona Day. Self-care is essential to your health and the health of the business you work in

Are you looking for more great resources? Get a free copy of my Feed Your Body ebook here and be sure to explore my blog while you are there.

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