Mental Health Day

Nadine Lustre

It seems to be a millennial thing to say: “I need to take a mental health day.” There is, thankfully, greater awareness in folks of different fields that one’s mental health requires attention and care, alongside the physical body.

Sure, it’s easy to let your boss know that you need a couple of days off because of the flu or an injury, but sometimes, the brain just needs a day.

As I’ve mentioned before, my brain works in interesting ways. It focuses on one thing and one thing only, requiring a bit of a break before tackling the next item on my list. Sometimes, a break lasts a few minutes. At other times, a few hours. Or maybe a day or two, or even more.

Whenever I finish my run in a show (whether it’s a musical or a season of whatever version of “The Voice” happens to be on the schedule), a mourning period takes place. Saying goodbye is never an easy thing. Bidding my coworkers farewell does take an emotional toll on me, even though it’s not immediately apparent.

If I’m able to hop to another job right away, that helps. But when my destination is the peace and quiet of home, and I have nothing to do, that’s when it hits me.

I find the need to just be by myself for a spell, and do whatever I need to recover. Maybe I need to just shoot something in a video game. Or eat my feelings (I do allow myself the recuperative powers of carbs). Might be time to get my hands busy and knit or crochet something, or bury my nose in a book. Or, just sit and think. However I choose to spend this idle time, it’s never idle when it’s about taking care of myself.

When I heard the news about actor Nadine Lustre taking a step back from “Miracle in Cell No. 7,” my initial thought was, sayang naman! First, there’s the opportunity to work with Aga Muhlach, and second, the original Korean movie upon which this new version will be based was such a monster hit.

However, upon reading her reasoning for backing out, and thinking about it some more, I have to respect her decision. To quote her, “I do not want to hate what I love doing.” (Lustre has since been replaced by Bela Padilla.)

Perhaps the sometimes crazy pace that is show business has taken its toll, and she just needed to take a little break for herself. It’s good that she’s learning how to take care of herself, something many folks in this business still need to get a handle on.

In our quest to please people, whether they’re our audiences or the folks we work closely with, we tend to forget that we as human beings need to take a minute.

As much as we are commodities, we’re still people who need to breathe. So, whether it’s a break from social media, other flesh and blood people, or the world at large, for the sake of our sanities, we should stop when we need to.

Take a breath. Press the reset button. Reconnect in an enriching, energizing, inspiring way.

And then, once the tank is full again, hit the gas pedal and go.

Don’t worry about me, I’ve got a couple of days coming up before my days of murderous mayhem begin which, in and of itself, will also be my way to breathe.

Now where’s my rolling pin…?