If the constant stream of news and societal pressures are taking a toll on your mental well-being, you are far from alone. In an era of heightened anxiety, many people, particularly those in marginalized communities, find the state of the world emotionally draining.
While staying informed is valuable, it’s equally vital to protect your mental health to navigate daily life with resilience. This is especially true if you feel personally impacted by current events, notes Emmalee Bierly, a licensed marriage and family therapist and co-host of the “ShrinkChicks” podcast.
While no single strategy can erase external challenges, you can take small, proactive steps to care for yourself. One such method is trying an “invisible day”—a dedicated period for self-care where you step away from your phone, the news, social obligations, and anything else that feels overwhelming. In essence, you temporarily withdraw from public life to focus on activities that help your mind and body reset.
Though the term “invisible day” is new, the concept is well-established in mental wellness practices.
“When I heard the term, I immediately thought of radical self-care, which is really not new at all,” explained Tychelle Graham-Moskowitz, a licensed clinical social worker. She emphasizes that radical self-care is about intention, and the same applies to an invisible day. You are consciously giving your body and mind what they need, whether that means a quiet day of relaxation or an adventurous one exploring a new neighborhood.
The power lies in the proactive choice. “The thing I love about actively choosing to have an invisible day is that it is an active, intentional process,” said Jennifer Chaiken, Bierly’s co-therapist and podcast partner. “So often, we wear ourselves down until it becomes a reaction. When it’s intentional, it’s a choice. You’re giving yourself this day before you’re totally depleted.”
While not an official holiday, therapists suggest making invisible days a regular practice to help manage feelings of anxiety, sadness, and disconnection.
“You don’t have to be beholden to a specific day,” Graham-Moskowitz said. Instead, you can schedule one whenever you feel the need.
Here’s why invisible days are so beneficial and how you can incorporate them into your life:
Reclaim Your Energy and Prioritize Your Needs
An invisible day allows you to disconnect from the demands of others and honor your own needs. Give yourself permission not to be available for everyone else, and communicate this to your support system—like a partner or family member—so they can step in.
Bierly suggests thinking about it in the most basic terms: What does “being invisible” actually look like for you? “That’s where we’re all feeling a lot of pressure right now. Everyone has access to you, and we feel this incredible pressure about what we owe to others,” she said. “I believe in community, but sometimes we just need a break.”
This practice gives you that essential time for yourself and frees you from being “beholden to what other people need,” Graham-Moskowitz added.
Regulate Your Nervous System
Our bodies are not designed to handle a constant barrage of distressing news and digital stimulation. An invisible day provides your nervous system with a crucial break from the hustle.
“Rest is so important. If you are not sleeping, if your nervous system is not regulated, if you are just constantly in the hustle, you’re not going to be doing well,” said Emma Shandy Anway, a licensed marriage and family therapist.
When your nervous system is dysregulated, you may feel chronically stressed, angry, or depressed. Shandy Anway points to the concept of the “window of tolerance”—the ideal state of emotional equilibrium.
“Unfortunately, in our fast-paced society, most people have a very tiny window of tolerance,” she noted. Factors like societal pressures, social media, and the 24/7 news cycle can shrink this window, leaving people feeling constantly on edge. “Rest helps increase that window of tolerance, so you end up in a more regulated state day-to-day.”
Break Free from Hyperconnectivity
A core component of an invisible day is stepping away from your phone and social media. While this may seem daunting, it’s profoundly beneficial.
“When we’re constantly connected to the world, hyperconnectivity can lead to all these feelings of loneliness and anxiety,” Bierly said. Constant emails and notifications aren’t genuine connection; they can overwhelm our nervous systems, making it difficult to show up for ourselves, our work, and our loved ones.
Disconnecting helps you step away from the noise and reconnect with your own needs, said Aerial Cetnar, a therapist and owner of Boulder Therapy and Wellness. “We live in such a fast-paced environment… information is coming at us often and we are over-consuming,” she explained. “When you feel obligated to respond to every message, it creates anxiety.”
A Respite for Anxiety and Burnout
An invisible day is a powerful tool for anyone dealing with anxiety, overwhelm, or burnout.
It’s a “way to disconnect from feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, and being in-demand,” Cetnar said. “We are more visible today than we’ve ever been, and that can be really overwhelming.”
It also creates space to reconnect with yourself in a world that constantly pulls your attention outward, Chaiken added. When you’re disconnected from your own needs, burnout and anxiety are natural consequences.
How to Plan Your Own Invisible Day
- Schedule It: The first step is to actually put it on your calendar, Chaiken advises. This makes it a real commitment.
- Communicate: Tell the people who normally rely on you—a partner, your boss, or a family member—that you’ll be unavailable so they can plan accordingly.
- Reflect on Your Needs: Before your day, take a moment to journal. Ask yourself a simple but powerful question: “What would feel good to me?”
“It’s a simple question, but a lot of times… people are so disconnected from their own sense of self and desire that they don’t even know where to start,” Shandy Anway said. Brainstorm activities, foods, or forms of entertainment that feel enriching and see what sparks excitement. - Identify and Avoid Stressors: Cetnar recommends pinpointing the specific stressors in your life so you can consciously avoid them during your invisible day.
- Be Flexible: If a full day isn’t feasible, that’s okay. You can take an invisible half-day or even a few dedicated hours after work. “Do what works for you,” Chaiken said.
As for how often to do this, listen to your mind and body. While one day a year is a start, Bierly notes, “clearly we all need it way more.” The goal is to build a practice of intentional rest that sustains you. There is no wrong way to have an invisible day—as long as you are listening to what you need.
