How to disconnect from work whilst on holiday
After the pandemic, most of us switched to remote working. And this does have many benefits. But, apps, such as Slack, Zoom and Teams, have made it easier than ever to reach employees outside of work hours.
Constant notifications have meant a lot of employees feel like they need to be available 24/7 or guilt sets in. And working from home has added to this, with no real separation from work and personal life.
Being able to disconnect from work has become even more challenging. Especially for those of us that struggled with switching off in the first place.
We carry our work stresses and pressures with us whilst on holiday, making us miss out on relaxing as best as we can.
But that’s exactly what holidays are for: to relax and recharge, slow down and change our daily routines.
If you’re planning a holiday this summer and need some tips on how to disconnect, read on.
Assign your work to others
Know that you’re allowed to take a break. Trust in your colleagues to do the work for you. Sometimes we let our egos get in the way and assume that we are the only ones that can do our jobs.
Resolve this by giving a proper handover ahead of time and focus on your own mental health. Remind yourself that you deserve to rest your mind from time to time. Doing so is essential for your health, stress levels and the quality of your work.
Tie-up loose ends before you go
Focus your time before you go on resolving current issues with projects or clients. Doing so will ensure that it doesn’t weigh on your mind as you’re away.
If you’re unable to resolve an issue before you go, make sure you hand it over to a colleague. Ensure they will handle it so you don’t need to worry about it before you go.
Assess your responsibilities
Feeling as though you’re needed too much at work often means the dynamics of your team are off balance.
If your workload feels impossible to switch off from, plan to discuss this with your boss. Determine how there could be more balance to activities.
Clarify with colleagues
Create the rule in your team that you won’t contact each other whilst away unless it’s necessary.
Managing your stress levels and mental health is not only important for you. It's essential for the productivity of the entire team too.
Turn off your email and Slack notifications when away to help you disconnect.
Check in with your stress levels
Take a minute to reflect on your work-life balance. Doing so forces you to analyse your current routines and priorities in a way you’ve never done before.
Some of your tasks increase stress and burnout but don't increase your contribution. You can only take on so much and your health and wellbeing are crucial to your capabilities.
Practice saying no to the trivial tasks and only focus on those you can contribute to optimally. Doing so will make switching off easier to handle as you’ll have less trivial things to worry about.
Read also: 6 Ways to Practice Self-Care in the Workplace
Plan ahead and pre-alert your out-of-office days
Make others aware of your upcoming holiday to avoid any unexpected or urgent issues. Ensure clients and colleagues know that you will be unreachable. This avoids surprising them with your out-of-office reply.
It's also a chance for them to change the date of a project so you can manage it when you're able. And, it means you have full faith that everything is in order whilst you’re away.
Plan to relax, whatever that looks like
Taking a break doesn’t have to mean jetting off to sip cocktails poolside. Whatever you do, it’s important to switch off from work, rest your mind and carry out activities you enjoy.
That might mean staying home to watch your favourite tv series for a few days uninterrupted. Or dedicating time to exploring your local area. Even cooking those homemade meals you never have time for. The main thing is that you rest and recharge by doing something different to your daily routine.
“As we ‘check out’ to go on holiday, we realise we often have an increased desire to ‘check in’ with work.
It takes a little while to get used to being on holiday, to relax, to realise that work can function without us. During that time it is often very tempting to check in, just to make sure we are missed and needed.
That serves only to feed our anxiety and detract from the benefits of holiday.
Keep your anxieties and fears in plain sight and if you catch yourself sneaking off to check your emails, turn yourself in to your partner, friends, or family.
Talk about it. Get through that anxiety at the beginning of your holiday to really embrace being away.”
- Fergus Ross, Integrative Counsellor & Psychotherapist at MYNDUP
