As a Practice Manager, you play a vital role – you’re not just the one in charge, but you’re also the legal team, HR, IT specialist, counsellor, patient wrangler and partner whisperer. You’re the captain of the ship, and you have to take care of the captain if you want to keep the boat afloat.

One of the comments that we see from PMs very often is that they don’t get time to ‘switch off’ – even on leave, you’ll be either worrying about being off work, getting calls from work, or checking emails when you’re not in. But here’s the thing…

You need the break.

While just a week will not immediately solve burnout, it will give a much-needed respite to stop, regroup, and return with more energy and a fresh, less-stressed viewpoint.

At the Kings Fund Conference in 2019, Dr Afsana Safa noted the lack of concern for the welfare of the Practice Manager; “No one asks if they’re okay….it’s really important that they share their concerns more widely and have the support from everyone else.”

At the same event, Professor Tom Bourne also said that being resilient alone is not the answer – “Establishing forums and talking is just a panacea for fixing a system that really isn’t good enough. It doesn’t make the fact you are overworked and overstressed go away, which is causing the burnout in the first place.

“You’ve got to fix the issue and start recognising that the workload for [practice managers] is something they cannot cope with.”

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study, anxiety and depressive disorders cost the global economy more than a trillion dollars in lost productivity each year.

Benefits of a ‘Mental Health Day’

Your regular obligations and responsibilities might easily overwhelm you. You might become fatigued if you are always expected to complete your tasks as a manager, employee, parent, spouse, family member, or friend.

It's important to take time for yourself to:

•    Clear your mind
•    Have fun and do things you enjoy
•    Improve your sleep quality
•    Process your emotions
•    Promote relaxation
•    Reduce stress

Choose Your Day

When you've decided to take a mental health day, the next question is "when and how?"

When to take a ‘mental health day’ is entirely up to you and your unique circumstances. Some people will share with their boss if they need a day off to wind down from the stresses of work, but don't feel forced to reveal your reasons if you don't want to express them or if you feel your employer is less accommodating.
Knowing what you can expect to get out of a ‘mental health day’ is important, but it isn’t a day to hide from your problems. They can seem overwhelming at times, but taking a break from work and spending some self-care time can give you the time to clear your head.

The easiest method to prevent feeling concerned about taking a day off is to plan ahead of time, rearranging your workload or delegate the work to somebody to act as a deputy.

How to spend your day

If you’re exhausted, your body might be telling you it needs rest, or you might just need to do something fun after weeks of complex working or planning. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you might not know what you need, and that’s the time to reflect – different stressors need a different response;

If you need to relax, that could mean sleeping in late, watching TV for hours on end, reading a book, pottering around the house or doing nothing. It might even mean going to the gym, a yoga class, or a walk in the park. The key is to do something you find relaxing.

If you need some fun, then plan it into your day – take part in some activities that will give you some enjoyment, or challenge you in a fun and energy-building ways.

If you are taking some time out to make some changes, you might want to take a day to restructure things.

You could start simply by creating a list of the factors you want to change;

•    A list of things that drain your energy
•    Identifying your biggest stressors
•    Looking at what your priorities are
•    What will give you increased job satisfaction.

You may not be able to eliminate everything in a day, but you might be able to take steps to reduce the significant areas, which may, in turn, create a lasting impact on your stress levels.

Alternatively, there are things you should avoid that don’t positively boost your physical and mental wellness;

•    Other people (if they don’t allow you time or energy to recharge yourself)
•    Smoking, drinking or similarly unhealthy habits
•    Spending time thinking about negative emotions, or wallowing in the negative thinking
•    Scrolling through endless social media channels

Don't expect to be able to take on all of this in a single day. If you want to use your mental health day to make real changes in your life, use it as a chance to evaluate, plan, and get ready to work on those changes.

This year, Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 13th to 19th May. What will you do to mark it?