Sick Day or Mental Health Day? Knowing When to Rest
Rebecca Helps, MTC · Helps Counselling
Use these questions, exercises and resources to think about what you need when your health makes working difficult.
Consider more than whether you can get through the day. Consider whether, given your health and the work required, attending is advisable.
Recognizing when you need to pause
We can have a headache, feel sad or experience anxiety and still work. The consideration is how your symptoms affect your functioning and what the day requires of you.
Ask yourself:
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What’s harder for me to do today than it usually is?
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What does my work require today?
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Can I meet those demands safely and reasonably?
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Based on my experience, could continuing make my symptoms worse?
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What essential responsibilities will I need to manage after work?
You can take familiar early signs seriously before reaching a breaking point.
Five areas to consider
| Area | What you might notice |
|---|---|
| Sleep and alertness | Difficulty staying awake or alert. |
| Concentration and thinking | Losing your train of thought, rereading information or missing details. |
| Decisions and overwhelm | Difficulty choosing what to do or responding to ordinary demands. |
| Emotional functioning | Emotions making everyday tasks or interactions harder to manage. |
| Physical functioning | Pain, fatigue or other symptoms affecting what you can do. |
Planning your sick day
Start with three questions:
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What can I take off my plate today?
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What do I need help with?
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What’s one thing I can do that might help?
Choose according to what you need today. You may need something different from what helped last time.
Sleep and alertness
Make room for rest. A short nap earlier in the day may help if you’re sleepy. If naps interfere with nighttime sleep, quiet time awake may suit you better. Consider whether extra caffeine later in the day will make it harder to sleep tonight. Avoid driving when drowsy.
Concentration and decisions
Give yourself less to track, decide and respond to. Pause work messages, write down essentials and leave decisions that can wait. Familiar, simple activities may take less effort.
Emotional functioning
Consider what would ease the effort of managing your feelings. Quiet and fewer interruptions may help when everything feels like too much. If being alone feels harder, ask someone you trust for a call or some company.
Physical care
Feeling calmer can coexist with needing sleep, food, rest or medical care. Adjust activity to your current capacity and follow existing care plans for familiar symptoms.
Seek medical advice for symptoms that are unfamiliar, persistent, recurring or worsening.
Two exercises to try
Centering and Grounding
Centring brings your attention to what’s happening within you. Grounding brings your attention to where you are. You can try either, use both at different times or stop if an exercise feels uncomfortable.
Gentle belly breathing
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Sit comfortably. If helpful, rest a hand on your belly or lower ribs.
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Breathe in gently and notice a little movement beneath your hand.
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Let the air out slowly and easily.
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If comfortable, try counting three in and four out. Adjust the pace to suit you.
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After a few breaths, return to your usual rhythm and notice how you feel.
Keep the breathing gentle. If you feel dizzy, uncomfortable or more distressed, return to your usual breathing and bring your attention to your surroundings.
Look, Feel, Listen
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Look. Notice one detail around you, or find three things that share a colour.
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Feel. Notice where your body touches a surface. Explore its texture, temperature or support.
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Listen. Give one nearby sound your attention for a moment.
If your thoughts pull you away, return to one detail. Use whichever sense feels easiest.
Rest can include connection and enjoyment
Sometimes you need sleep and quiet. Other times, supportive company, laughter or a familiar activity may help you unwind.
Research suggests that supportive connection and laughter can affect the body’s stress response. Enjoying something can be part of caring for yourself during a sick day.
Consider the demands of the activity:
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Does this fit my energy and capacity today?
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How do I feel during and afterward?
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Can I stop or change my plans if I need to?
When a day off is not enough
Look more closely when symptoms persist, worsen or keep returning, or when time off helps only briefly.
Sometimes there is a demanding period followed by a chance to recover. Sometimes the pressure continues at work, at home or both.
Ask yourself:
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What keeps putting me under strain?
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What happens for me in those situations?
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What support or changes could give me more room?
Counselling can help you explore those questions, practise difficult conversations, consider boundaries and plan realistic changes. Your health, finances, responsibilities and available support all affect what is possible.
Preparing to ask for help
You can seek support while you’re still figuring out what is happening. Before an appointment, make a few notes:
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What has changed and when it started.
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How often it happens.
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How it affects work and life at home.
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What you have tried and how much it helped.
You could begin with:
“I keep feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Rest helps for a little while, but I’m struggling again when I go back. I’d like help understanding what’s happening and what I can do.”
A family doctor or nurse practitioner can assess persistent fatigue, sleep difficulties and unexplained physical symptoms. A counsellor can help with distress, coping and recurring patterns. You may find both kinds of support helpful.
You can also check for an Employee and Family Assistance Program or counselling coverage through workplace benefits.
Sick days in BC
How to talk about sick days
Employment information checked November 7, 2026.
Eligible employees covered by BC Employment Standards receive five paid and three unpaid sick days per calendar year after 90 consecutive days with the same employer. Mental illness is included.
Notify your employer as soon as you can. For example:
“I’m unwell and need to take a sick day today.”
Employers may request reasonable proof. Depending on the circumstances, credible verbal information or your own written confirmation may be sufficient. You generally do not need to disclose your diagnosis.
BC generally prohibits practitioner sick-note requests for the first two health-related absences of five consecutive days or fewer in a calendar year. Exceptions include notes needed to assess return-to-work fitness or accommodations. After those absences, a note is still not automatically required.
Different rules or processes may apply in unionized or federally regulated workplaces and certain occupations. Check your agreement or ask your union representative, HR department or the appropriate employment standards service.
Finding support
HealthLink BC
Call 8-1-1 for non-emergency health advice and help finding services.
HealthLink BC services
HelpStartsHere
Explore mental health information and support options in BC.
Visit HelpStartsHere
BC Employment Standards Branch
For questions about statutory sick-day rights or pay, call 1-833-236-3700. Unionized employees can start with their union representative.
Contact Employment Standards
Medical emergencies
Call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, including a possible heart attack or stroke.
Connect with Helps Counselling
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If you would like support understanding what keeps wearing you down and exploring what could help, Helps Counselling offers appointments in Port Moody and online across BC.
