Mental Health Day
MEN-tul helth daynoun
What it means
A day of leave offered by an employer to manage a condition that the same employer's working practices are helping to manufacture.
What it actually means
Rest, but we would like credit for it.
How it is used in a sentence
"I'm taking a mental health day, the last sprint broke me."
Filed under
Work & Ambition — Everything your employer calls a benefit and your therapist calls a symptom.
Euphemism — The phrase hides something specific. We decode it.
Related entries
Burnout
Work & AmbitionBURN-owtnounDiagnosis
The occupational condition produced by a culture that has a word for it precisely so that it does not have to change.
Real meaningYou are exhausted and it is your responsibility to fix it.
Wellness Programme
Work & AmbitionWEL-nis PROH-gramnounEuphemism
A subsidised gym membership and a mindfulness app, priced into your benefits, offered in place of a workload you could survive.
Real meaningHere is a coping mechanism instead of a solution.