....to do a sickie tomorrow because my house is an absolute tip, I'm beyond exhausted & I need to pluck my eyebrows?

[Daisychainsandleather]

Evening all!
Help me make a decision if you will....
Single mum with very little support (none actually) ....
House is a tip! Can't find anything, have paperwork to sort out, really tired, loads of washing to do, the list is endless and I spent all day today on the verge of tears because I'm a bit stressed... (A lot stressed...)
I reckon I can get on top of everything in a day while kids at nursery/school.
Non eventful admin day tomorrow. No impact on colleagues....
AIBU to do a sickie? Haven't done one all year.... Oh yeah, eyebrows looking hideous!

Go for it! Being a single parent is bloody hard, especialy with no help. You'll be brighter a million tonnes lighter going into work on thursday having got 2-3 areas of the Life Crap cleared up. It's not like you'll be sat on your arse watching Jezza... you'll be more knackered than if you'd done a full day at work! TIP: not to be too ambitious but a lasagne for the freezer or some batch cooking may also be an idea. I always cook ahead to save time & only dirties the kitchen up every other day. And I also intend to ship my DS out and have a few peaceful days over xmas to have a bloody good sort out at home! Actually jealous now OP 😁

I'm a manager and frankly I condone the odd day where someone takes it off as does my boss .....frankly my team are more use to me at full power than they are burnt out (granted I'm fortunate to have a team that I have to make sure ltheu don't work weekends off their own back because they are very dedicated and we have a very busy role) take the day off you'll be better to them after it

And on that note I'm also a single mum with two kids under 5 and a senior role....op something has to give and if a day off helps crack on

I sympathise with all single parents trying to keep their shit together esp with no support like op. Take the day off, sort all the things clogging your mind up so that you can think clearly

If you are sick then you can take a day off sick but if you are not sick then you shouldn't/can't.

You can't just decide you've 'deserve' a day off because you work hard the rest of the time or because you haven't taken a sick day for the rest of the year. It's theft however you dress it up.

BTW. <a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_353899.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Women were 42% more likely to have time off work through sickness than males. (ONS 2014) and, not surprisingly single mothers have higher rates of sickness than any other family type <a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-trends--discontinued-/volume-113--no--4/sickness-absence-from-work-in-the-uk.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">according to this 2004 ONS REPORT. (I couldn't find a more recent report). I completely understand that there are valid reasons for this but you have to wonder if this has any effect on employers preferring to hire males.

Do it because you know what? You are actually sick in a way, no, not it's not a physical, communicable disease but stress is physically debilitating as well as emotionally and everyone needs a MH break occasionally when it's all getting on top.

Don't feel guilty, spend the day tidying up your home (and your eyebrows), it'll help you'll feel better about things on that front at least and might just avert an actual stress induced health crisis that could keep you off work for ages. YADNBU.

Do it! Maybe make sure your brows aren't too obviously 'done' though!

I tend to work through illness and take mental health days (I like that ! It's a mental health day )

Few though

Did you go to work??

What did you decide op?

The eyebrow dilemma would def sway me to take a sickie. For gods sake sort out those brows

Op I hope you've dropped the kids off and are back in the house having a leisurely breakfast before you get started. Jealous as I'm on maternity leave and can't call in sick

if you feel like shit, stay home.
but rest up, don't go cleaning like a maniac. and leave those eyebrows allone

you have at least one older (school age) child, time to show them some simple cleaning (sinks, hoovering) and have them help you tidy up.

You're not sick. Take annual leave or unpaid leave.

Theft? Seriously ?

It's rare these days that most people aren't required to go above and beyond for their employer , the need to keep jobs in a difficult market encourages a culture of overwork so consider it payback to have the very odd day

And the societal reasons behind preference for men are beyond layered and complex....and certainly can't be broken down to the odd day off that's a simplification that skews the real issues

I think if you don't feel fit to work then taking a day sick is valid. Spending the time having a mental break but dealing with some of the things that are making you feel unwell is more likely to help than pure rest, so do that but don't overdo it.

Book an appt for the brows at the weekend but don't do this today!

If if avoids you needing a prolonged period of absence in the near future, you're doing everyone a favour.

As a manager, if I could "see it coming" which you often can, I'd be telling the staff member to take a few days. I'm really shocked at all the apparently senior people who think it's disgraceful. We have a duty to look after the MH of our staff

No don't, why should everyone else work harder to cover your work so you can catch up? Potentially other people with their own problems and responsibilities. I am not a single parent so you may think I am fair game, but I have considerable caring responsibilities for my elderlies and don't always have time to do my paperwork. Eyebrows are threaded four times a year when they meet in the middle.

If you're not fit to work you take a day off sick.

If you just want a chance to tidy the house then you do not take a sick day.

You decide which is actually closer to the truth.

I'd be unimpressed to see a colleague who had taken a sick day the previous day turn up at work with freshly done eyebrows (if its obvious). If you're that stressed that you need a day off work, you should be resting. I used to work with a girl who would turn up the day after a sick day with a brand new haircut and highlights. She wasn't very popular.

You shouldn't take the day off - its wrong and your situation is nothing remotely to do with mental health issues.

Why are you on MN when you could be tidying your house and doing your eyebrows now?

Exactly what Squills says ^

On the thread 'DH didn't help me' yesterday everyone was being all sanctimonious saying they had never puled a sickie!

There are no medals for full attendance and if this isn't something you do as a rule, I don't think one day will hurt. In a couple of weeks' time who will even remember you were off anyway? If you feel your health would benefit from a day off, then just do it and don't feel guilty about it. We're a long time dead.

YA probably BU but do it anyway. You need it.

There may be no medals for full attendance but there is a salary. This may come as a surprise to some MNers (but luckily not all, which restores some of my faith in the world) but actually you are supposed to EARN it.