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Have you ever called in sick for work when you weren’t really sick? Maybe there was something else you wanted to do or somewhere you wanted to go, or maybe you were just so burnt out that you desperately needed a mental health day.

In this story, one retail worker calls in sick after a stressful week full of overtime. It seems like she really does need a mental health day, but she’s feeling so guilty about calling in sick, that she’s not even able to enjoy her day off.

Does she have any reason to feel guilty, or should she enjoy a bonus day at home without giving it another thought?

Let’s read all the details to decide.

AITA for calling in sick after being burned out from working overtime almost every day last week?

I work at a major grocery retail store, and my store is the 2nd busiest store in the district.

I work in the store pickup department where we have to shop for groceries people order online and take them to their car.

Sundays are our most busiest days and gets really busy that it’s hard to even walk in the aisle once it hits 12pm.

OP was getting pretty burnt out.

Last week was a total nightmare because of Thanksgiving plus the snowstorm we got hit with.

Last sunday I worked 3 hours of overtime, and Monday was busier than Sunday and I worked 2 hours of overtime.

On these busy days, our supervisor never let’s us our last 15 minute break, and about an hour of overtime on Monday, I had an anxiety attack because the store was so crowded and I was just so tired of all the BS from all the customers.

Tuesday was the only time we werent super busy and I got to go home early, which was a relief.

Her Lead’s request was the tipping point.

But when Wednesday came around, instead of the usual 5am-1:30pm shift I was scheduled from 8am-4:30pm which I didnt mind as I was off the next day and I had asked the other person who was closing with me to give me a ride home.

The day was fine, until I got back from lunch.

I was logging on then POS (point of sales) so I can see who has picked up their orders and who hasnt yet, when all of a sudden the Lead just starts rushing me to put bags in the trolleys, and then sent me out to do shopbacks just so that her and the supervisor could leave early.

Talking about her frustration didn’t help.

I got mad at this and just gave the two the silent treatment while doing what I was asked.

But my supervisor say that I was upset and asked what was wrong.

And I told her that I dont like being rushed like that, and was told that I take things so seriously and need to relax.

At that point I was just done and wanted her to leave so that I can get on with the rest of the shift without her there.

This is an odd decision.

Friday, after I came back from my day off. She only scheduled 3 people. 1 person at 5am, me at 7:45am and our 2nd Lead at 11:45am.

I asked my supervisor before why she had scheduled so little people that day, and she said that it was going to be busy cause it was black friday.

Well she was kind of wrong. It wasnt busy like Sunday, but busy for 3 people. I ended up having to stay an hour overtime because she were short on pickers.

One day off wasn’t enough.

Saturday I was off and was the only day I could relax, as thanksgiving has always been stressful for me when the entire immediate family is over.

I am still burned out from working 7 days straight and working 3 of those days overtime, and I had to call in this morning to recover.

I have depression and general anxiety and I couldn’t get myself out of bed because of all the work. Am I a jerk for calling in for this reason?

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There’s a reason people refer to taking a sick day when you’re not really sick as a mental health day. Sometimes your mental health really does need that extra day off.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

This is good advice.

Someone who gets migraines weighs in.

I completely agree with this comment.

Here’s a warning.

Obviously, she can’t keep taking sick days, but after that exhausting week, she needs to prioritize her health, and yes, mental health counts as health.

I’m still baffled by the fact that the supervisor didn’t schedule more people to work on Black Friday, a day that is pretty much a national shopping holiday.

I hope she learns to put her health above her job and not to feel guilty about taking a minute to recuperate after pushing herself too far.

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Author

Jayne Elliott

Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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