Madalyn Parker wanted to take a couple of days off work. She didn’t have the illness, and she had no intention of sitting on a beach drinking mojitos under a palm tree. Parker, a web developer from Michigan, wanted to take a few days off from work to focus on her mental health.

Parker struggles with depression. She also emphasizes the need for maintaining her mental health. Parker told Upworthy via email that mental health is crucial for overall health. “My depression prevents me from being productive at work in the same way that a broken hand would hinder my ability to type effectively.”

Parker’s tale initially went viral in 2017. Since then, certain regions continue to stigmatize mental health days, but their knowledge and acceptability have significantly expanded. Every year on October 8, there is a Mental Health Awareness Day, and in certain states, such as California, mental health days are protected in the same way as sick days are. The Mayo Clinic suggests that people take mental health days as “an intentional act to alleviate distress and poor mood and motivation, while improving attitude, morale, functioning, efficiency, and overall well-being.” As they correctly describe, mental health days are not just for those who are feeling overwhelmed; they may also be part of a planned strategy to sustain productivity and high morale among individuals and teams at work.

That is why Parker’s remark was so well received at any time, but especially since it was still ahead of its time for far too many people.

She wrote an email to her coworkers explaining why she was taking the time off.

“Hopefully,” she wrote to them, “I’ll be back next week refreshed and at 100%.”

Soon after the communication was delivered, the CEO of Parker’s firm responded:

“Hi, Madalyn.

I simply wanted to say thank you for sending emails like these. Every time you do, I take it as a reminder of the significance of taking sick days for mental health—I can’t believe this isn’t normal practice at every business. “You are an inspiration to all of us, and you help to break down the stigma so that we can all bring our full selves to work.”

Parker, moved by her CEO’s response, shared the email conversation on Twitter.

On June 30, 2017, Parker sent a tweet that went viral, garnering 45,000 likes and 16,000 retweets.

Parker expresses her delight at the positive emotions circulating on the internet in response to her tweet. “I’ve been really taken aback by the enormity, though. I didn’t expect this much attention!”

Even more amazing than the tweet’s popularity were the sincere reactions it received.

“Thanks for giving me hope that I can find a job as I am,” commented one individual who spoke openly about her panic episodes. “That is bloody incredible,” said another. “What a fantastic CEO you have.”

Some users, however, questioned why there should be a distinction between vacation time and sick days; after all, aren’t holidays supposed to enhance our mental health?

Parker believes that this misses an essential distinction: how we perceive sick days and vacation days, as well as how that time away from work is really spent.

“I took an entire month off to do partial hospitalization last summer, and that was sick leave,” she responded to my query. “I still felt like I could use vacation time because I didn’t use it, and it’s a separate concept.”

Many people were shocked that a CEO could be so aware of an employee’s mental health concerns.

They were even more startled when the CEO praised her for sharing her own experience of caring for her mental health.

After all, there is still a significant stigma connected with mental illness in the workplace, which prevents many of us from speaking up to our coworkers when we need assistance or a break to focus on ourselves. We fear that others may perceive us as “weak” or less committed to our work. We may even dread losing our jobs.

Ben Congleton, CEO of Parker’s startup Olark, even joined the chat.

In a Medium blog article, Congleton discussed the need for more company leaders to prioritize paid sick leave, overcome the stigma associated with mental illness in the workplace, and see their employees as people first.

“It’s 2017. We are in a knowledge economy. Congleton wrote, “Our jobs require us to perform at peak mental performance.” “When an athlete gets injured, they sit on the bench to heal. Let’s get away from the notion that the brain is somehow distinct.”