Take a mental health day. This seems similar to playing hooky from work, but it's different. Pretend you're sick. Spend the day as if you were ten years old and staying home from school. Stay in pajamas and lounge in bed all day, surrounded by magazines, watching television, taking naps, and letting the world go by without you.

Don't answer the phone. Make tea, and get in touch with what it was like to be in grammar school, when staying home was a treat that was probably given to you once in a while.

Make time for yourself today. Let everything take as long as it needs to. Remember, you're really under the weather. Whether your symptoms are physical or mental makes no difference. You can't afford to push yourself, or your condition might worsen. Keep in mind that your sole objective is to get well, even if all you need is a day to recover from the stresses of daily life.

Alan Epstein in How to Be Happier Day by Day