AIBU to take a sick day when I feel overwhelmed?

[Cerc]

I never take a day off and manager really strict, when I’ve gone in obviously unwell there’s been no effort to tell me to go home. I haven’t been feeling too well mentally. My marriage is breaking down and my kids have been unable to sleep due to the heat. I just feel fed up. I could go either way not going in one day this week and just focusing on myself. What excuse would you give? I’ve never called in sick only for my kids and I don’t want to use my kids as an excuse. What would your reason be? What’s put me off in the past in the details they want of your sickness so it gives me anxiety and I just end up going to work. I really feel depressed but don’t want mental health to be a reason as I just don’t want them knowing. They won’t be supportive and will just use this information against me.

Firstly you are actually ill even though you’re describing it as an “ overwhelm”. I’d put it on par with a bereavement. I think migraine probably is the way to go as already suggested. My employer always asked for the reason when I called in sick and it was recorded on a database. If I went in and then left early it would not be recorded as a sick day although I was PAYE.

You had a bad stomach at the weekend (Sunday morning) so you’re just giving yourself a day to ensure that you are fine to return tomorrow.

This. Friday or next Monday mean you can say you’ve been ill/ended up being ill for 48 days. If Monday, your symptoms started in the early hours of Sunday morning. You should not go in until Tuesday.

Or you start being ill in the early hours of Friday morning.You’re sufficiently recovered to work on Monday.

Agree. Today is not a good day to call in sick as people will assume you stayed up
late to watch the football.

I don’t think a lot of places accept someone else calling in for you unless you’re physically incapacitated. It specifies in mine and my husband’s employee handbook it has to be you calling in.

Book some holiday, or tell the truth.

Yeah, I have a banging headache but forcing myself in because of this. I didnt even watch football.

Don't get somebody to call for you. Say you are unwell with migraine. Use the time to pull back a little and get some support.

Take off as long as you need. I'm sure the taxpayer and/or your colleagues will happily pick up the slack.

A couple of days every now and then is fine x

@Cercif you don’t want to call in sick as you’re anxious about lying (I completely understand this, I couldn’t do it either, goes against my morals), why don’t you just book a days leave for later in the week or (if they need more notice), early next?

Vomiting.
You shouldn't come in if you have a vomiting bug. Just take the day, and another if you need to. Your MH is vitally important - every bit as much as your physicalhalth, but there is a stigma to it, so I think this white lie is fine.

If you don't get paid when you're not in (are you sure you shouldn't even get stay sick pay, which isn't much?) then surely you can just say you don't want to take the shift and not come in, instead of calling in sick?

Migraine is also a good call. If you have ocular migraine, you can't drive, you get vertigo, sickness, headache. And the heat can bring it on.

A bit of kindness and empathy wouldn't hurt you.

I did this the other week as felt like I hit a brick wall. I also felt guilty about ringing up as I wasn’t physically sick but it was honestly the best thing I could have done.
I had 3 days where apart from doing dishes I just laid in my bed and on the sofa and did nothing except nap, scroll and watch some TV and by the end felt so much better and back to my normal self.
Overwhelm and exhaustion can really take its toll on you.

I’ve lied and said I woke up in the night vomiting when I’ve needed a day off for mental health but didn’t feel able to disclose that. I said I woke up in middle of night and was sick and still feel queasy and nauseous and haven’t been able to stomach any food so staying at home.

The next day I said that I wasn’t sick again in the end and started to feel better as the day went on so I was okay to go to work the following day.

I've used the migraine excuse, also have used the food poisoning excuse. The most inventive one I have used is that I slipped on the ice and hurt myself. Obviously you can't use the slipping on ice one at the moment!

Taking a day off work for mental health reasons is difficult to explain so it is much easier to use another excuse. Hope you feel recharged after your day(s) off.

Why would the taxpayer be picking up the slack? What a stupid bloody comment just to stick the boot in on somebody struggling - what a sad person you are.

One day, particularly taken on a monday or a friday, is more noticeable as taking the piss.
Especially when there was a big England game on in the middle of the night.

The empathy argument could just as easily apply to whoever has to cover OPs workload.

Sorry your workplace is so poor on their acknowledgement of any kind of mental health issue, that you feel so overwhelmed and then need to lie to get a day off :(

That is terrible!

Anyway, the one I have always used for a single day is migraine.

And then - start looking for another job who actually acknowledge that mental health exists and is important.

What a bloody unhelpful and unpleasant comment to someone who is clearly struggling.

Migraine 👍