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Mental health is a very serious issue that is now finally getting some of the spotlight that it deserves. A lot of professional athletes are now starting to talk about it as well which has given it some national media attention. It is now being appreciate for the very dangerous implications that it can bring about.
A web developer named Madalyn Parker who works in Ann Arbor, MI, shared an email from her CEO in response to her announcing she was taking a mental health day from work. Mashablereports that the tweet went viral, but not because his response was bad. Ben Congleton let Parker and the rest of her team know that he fully supports using your time off for your mental health as well as your physical health, and it's bringing up a lot of feelings:
When the CEO responds to your out of the office email about taking sick leave for mental health and reaffirms your decision. 💯 pic.twitter.com/6BvJVCJJFq
There is still a stigma around admitting to needing mental health care, and sometimes that means taking a day off from work and caring for yourself even if you are not physically sick. Depression can manifest physically, though, so that's another thing to consider. Lots of people responded to Parker's tweet with questions about why she was sharing this experience and why she didn't just say something more general, like that she was "under the weather." Parker says she doesn't want to hide her mental health recovery anymore:
But *vacations* are for mental health too. So then really what's difference btwn sick leave & vacation leave? Could be just 1 leave policy
There were also a lot of people who shared the terrible responses they got from bosses or other people in authority when they said they needed to take care of their mental health:
I took a mental health afternoon at my last job and got passive aggressive documentation about the mental health coverage in our health plan
It may be a long time before corporate culture allows for people to take the space they need to care for both the mind and body, but Parker's honesty about her needs and her boss's support are taking us one step in the right direction.
