By Katie Burke, Chief People Officer at HubSpot
When was the last time you took a break?
Chances are, it’s been awhile. Regardless of whether you’re juggling full-time parenting with full-time jobs, anxiously checking the news, worried about loved ones, or navigating a lot of time solo, taking time to recharge sounds like a luxury right now that most of us can’t afford.
But it’s not: According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, 45% of adults said COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their mental health, and 19% describe it as having a major impact. Stress takes a toll and we have to hit pause at some point — not just for our happiness, but for our health.
A few weeks ago, Dr. House of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Iowa joined us for an internal AMA with HubSpot employees, and one thing he said really stuck with me. He recognized that while people are rightly concerned about their physical health during COVID-19, we should also be taking care of our health more broadly. That includes sleep, hydration, diet, and, you guessed it — mental health.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard a lot of people at HubSpot say they’re waiting until this is all “over” to take time off from work and unplug. Why take a vacation if you can’t actually go on vacation, right? The problem is, all indications suggest that COVID-19 is going to be a consideration in our lives and in public health for many months. As a result, we all need to prepare for a marathon, not a sprint. Regardless of where you live, the world is going to look very different long after we go back to the office and eat at restaurants again.
That’s why now’s not the time to push mental health down on our to-do lists. Our brains are wired to expect a break sooner or later. So if you have the flexibility at work, don’t wait to hit pause.
Still not sold? Here’s advice that helped me get comfortable taking time off to do nothing but focus on myself.
Let Go of Guilt
Most people I know are putting an irrational amount of pressure on themselves to be productive right now — myself included. At work, there’s this idea that everything will break if we step away for a few hours. At home, we feel like we’re failing if we don’t bake the perfect sourdough or become a professional homeschool teacher overnight. It’s exhausting.
Here’s the secret: no one is “winning” quarantine. We’re setting expectations for ourselves that are unrealistic, and in many cases, unfounded. For example, I hear a lot of people say that they can’t afford to take a day off right now. They have too much work to do. They can’t let their team or customers down. While I love the commitment to doing their best work, everyone can afford to take a day off. Your company will survive without you for the day. In fact, you’ll likely have even more of an impact once you’ve taken time to recharge.
Working remotely may be driving you to put more pressure on yourself, both in your job and in your free time. So remember to cut yourself some slack. If you’re not making five-course meals, being manager of the year, sleeping 12 hours a night, and smiling 24/7, you’re in great company.
Do What Makes You Happy
Time off is going to look different these days. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Just because you can’t go on that beach vacation you had planned, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy taking a break.
I took a day off recently to do yoga, catch up with friends, and watch Bravo. It might not have been the annual girls’ trip getaway I’m used to around this time of year, but it was what I needed. I came back to work the next week feeling recharged, and most importantly, better. Why? Because I carved out time to do things that make me happy, unapologetically.
So, when you block off time on your calendar, I recommend forgetting what you should do, and spending the time doing what you want to do. Take a nap. Go for a walk with your kids. Cook. Don’t cook. The point is, do whatever self-care means for you that day.
Leave Loudly
If you’ve ever felt insecure about taking time off for a mental health day, you’re not alone. It can be nerve-wracking to tell your manager you need to unplug. And for leaders, signing off to focus on yourself can feel like a sign of weakness. So how can we start to normalize mental health breaks?
I think part of the solution lies in “leaving loudly”. We’re more likely to feel confident about taking time off for personal reasons if we see our peers and managers doing the same. Recently, both of our co-founders blocked off their calendars so they could spend time with their families. They didn’t just say they’d be unavailable or unreachable — they told the rest of the executive team they were taking a break to be with family. For me, it set the tone that unplugging is important.
Whether you’re a founder, manager, or individual contributor, don’t underestimate the influence you can have in setting that same tone. Practice leaving loudly by Slacking your team that you’re signing off early to go for a walk, writing ‘mental health day’ instead of ‘OOO’ on your calendar, or talking about how you recharged over the weekend.
One way I’m leaving loudly is by finishing the sentence below, “I’m taking a break to…”. We’re encouraging HubSpotters, customers, friends, and followers to share how you recharge, too. Use this graphic to fill in the blank, share with your networks, and tag others to join in using the hashtag #takeabreak. My hope is that together we can have an impact in not only normalizing breaks, but in celebrating them.
I oversee many of our organization-wide decisions and communications on COVID-19, so things are not quiet in my team’s world right now by any stretch. But part of leading through an unprecedented time is leaning into your values and your culture versus making excuses for leaning away from it, so our entire executive team is committed to leading the way in making mental health a priority. Taking a break now isn’t irresponsible in light of COVID-19. In fact, it’s the most responsible thing we can all do to set the tone — in addition to social distancing and masks, of course.
With so much out of our control, I find comfort in knowing I can choose to focus on my mental health. So if you’re feeling anxious, stressed, sad, or all of the above, consider taking a break. Because even if we spend it doing nothing, that’s still something.
