So………feelings. Let’s talk about feelings. The advances we have made in mental health are amazing! I’m here for it! We can talk about things like depression and anxiety and mental disorders without a lot of the stigma and shame that use to go with it. It’s truly a game changer.
Here’s the BUT…….. is it just me or has it maybe gone a little too far AT TIMES? I think it’s great that young adults today are taking care of their mental health and prioritizing it. But sometimes it seems to cross a line into selfishness that I am having a hard time accepting. Maybe it’s just me still holding on to ways of the past? Let’s explore.
I am a small business owner of a plumbing company. Our guys have calls scheduled daily that were made days, sometimes weeks, in advance. When one of my guys calls in sick, it wreaks havoc. Being a small company, there aren’t a ton of employees to cover the calls that he had for that day. But when you’re sick, you’re sick! I’ll figure it out. But if you call me in the morning and tell me you need a mental health day??? Oh, hell no!
Don’t get me wrong here. My guys get very liberal time off. They know they just need to ask. And I have definitely had instances when one of them called in because of personal issues. But those instances are few and far between and it is always something serious. But I am not about to call customers to reschedule them or have my other guys work stupid hours because someone is having a bad day and needed a break. It’s called being an adult! Put your big girl panties on and do your fucking job (in my best Dad voice).
Now if you want to schedule a day off for your mental health I’m good with that! I support it! We all need a break sometimes. But calling in the day of? Absolutely not! Lie to me and tell me you were up puking all night or your dog ran away. But don’t call me at 7 in the morning and tell me you need a mental health break THAT DAY!
Am I wrong to find it so selfish? I don’t know if they take the time to think about the chain reaction their actions (or lack of actions) have. By calling in for a mental health day (with no notice), you have just fucked with my mental health, you have fucked with the day my customers had planned and you have fucked with your co workers day (and probably mental health too).
When I look back at my own life, it is exhausting to think about all of the challenges I have faced with my own mental health. Maybe that skews my opinion these days. I have gone through rehab as a teenager (it was the 80s, we all went to rehab, didn’t we?), divorce, custody battles, an alcoholic spouse who has relapsed multiple times, the murder/suicide of our closest friends (while their daughter was with us……story for another day), legal issues, financial issues, work issues and kids….can’t forget the kids. There have been more days than I can count when I had to tell myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Days spent just going through the motions of life, just trying to get through it. And I always let myself feel my feelings at the end of the day and I made sure not to bottle anything up (rehab for the win) and I talked to people. I did care about my mental health.
Was I a ray of sunshine? Absolutely fucking not. There were sooooo many days all I wanted to do was curl up in a fetal position and cry or stick my head in the sand and wait for the storm to pass. And I did absolutely take days for myself. But what I never did was make my problems or feelings someone else’s issue. That’s what you do when you call in to work for a mental health day with no notice. Maybe you are doing what is best for you, but you’re screwing everyone else.
So, let’s hear it! Has life made me so hard and jaded that I am being unreasonable now? How do you feel about the mental health day phenomenon? And what else should we discuss in future blogs?
DRINK OF THE WEEK
Coconut Lemon Sour
2.5 oz Coconut Water
1.5 oz Coconut Vodka
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (adjust to taste)
1 oz Simple Syrup (you can buy this or make it yourself. Equal parts sugar and water. I like to heat mine until sugar is dissolved. You can infuse with different flavors if you want to get fancy.)
Shake all ingredients together and serve over ice. Garnish how you would like!
Cheers!
Household Tips
Did you know that spiders HATE peppermint? Put peppermint oil around windows, doors or anywhere else you are finding these little creepy crawlies!
