Agree with this. I’m same gen as Kat, and took a leave of absence a while back. This was at a large company who talk big about the value of mental health of their employees. I met with new boss prior to rejoining (at which point I felt way better and was ready), and it was uncomfortable enough for me to find a job elsewhere. So behold it would be great to have the option to take leave, it’s not always realistic.

This is how I feel too. Mental health is health, but I also just don’t really want to discuss my health in detail with my employer unless absolutely necessary. If I’m sick, which for me includes migraines and anxiety-related insomnia, I use sick leave. I basically never provide details except “I’m taking a sick day.” If I’m just feeling stressed or burned out, that’s personal leave or a vacation day (or more often, a work from home day where I just don’t accomplish anything).

Personally, I’m very private so I would just say I’m not feeling well. I am also a fan of the proactive mental health day. If it’s a gorgeous summer Friday and I don’t have any meetings, why not take impromptu PTO? Or if I’ve been on the road and in five states in four days (pre-COVID), I tell everyone I’m not going anything on day 5 except maybe catching up on email. At home. In comfy pants.

+1. My wife and I talked about this on vacation and I ended up doing pretty well with not checking email. There were a couple direct messages I responded to, but only to say “I’ll get to that when I’m back.” YMMV, but I’m definitely not getting paid enough to work on my days off.