With summer months beckoning (although not fast enough for some of us who live in colder places), it also means it’s time to take a vacation and leave work stress behind. During the summer, it’s rare to see a workplace at full capacity. Everybody wants a peaceful break during their little slice of the beautiful weather…except maybe YOU?
Does leaving the office for your summer vacation give you the kind of anxiety and stress that you’re supposed to be leaving behind when you take a break?
Employment site Glassdoor recently reported that people would rather work than deal with the headaches of leaving and returning. Their survey showed 54% of employed people take half of their vacation time allotted. Only 23% take all of the vacation time they have coming to them!
And those people who actually take the plunge and leave the office behind? Well, they’re not really leaving the office behind.
The same survey, taken in 2017, showed 66% of people report working when they’re supposed to be on vacation. This is up from 61% in their 2014 survey. I agree that there are a variety of reasons for the lack of vacation, or working while away, however, almost every health professional who has spoken on the topic agrees creating a time to detach is vital to mental and emotional health.
You can make the break from the office and transitioning back to work after your well-deserved vacation much easier on yourself. So, go ahead, Take a Vacation! Here are 6 ways to leave work stress behind.
On the way out…
1. Plan Long in Advance – Most workplaces encourage employees to choose their vacation time at the beginning of the year, but as those statistics show, people just aren’t doing it. If you know months in advance when your downtime will be, you can schedule projects to end prior to your vacation and new ones not to commence until you return. Consider taking your vacation during a slow professional period of the year.
2. Don’t Hand Everything Off – It’s okay if some things don’t get done. Don’t give your less critical work to others who may not do as good a job as you. It’s only going to cause more stress. If waiting a week on certain things will affect others, let them know in advance so they can plan accordingly. Have one “go-to person” who will contact you if something significant happens that needs your attention. Having that security blanket will ease anxiety. You’ll know that no news is good news.
3. Clean Before You Leave – Even if a tidy bookcase or dust-free desk doesn’t seem like something that will help you relax during vacation, multiple studies have shown knowing that you’ll be returning to a clean, pleasant workspace will help alleviate stress about returning; therefore, allowing you to enjoy vacation time more fully.
As you return…
4. Be Prepared — Do you remember that weird feeling when you were a kid and missed a few days of school with an illness and recognized life went on without you and that you had to play catch-up to figure out what you’d missed? A day or two before your vacation is over, have your go-to person provide a rundown of important (and not-so-important) things you may have missed. If Tom from accounting was fired for stealing, you’d feel more in the loop returning with that kind of information.
5. Slow Your Pace – If you work with multiple departments and are pulled in 101 directions, it’s hard to jump back into that pace immediately. Take care of loose ends and get back in the rhythm of things at a slower pace for at least 24 hours. Building up to your regular speed will make things easier than starting at 100 miles-per-hour.
6. Don’t get chained to your inbox – If you take a step back, it’s incredible how many of those emails you not only don’t have to respond to but don’t have to read in the first place. A debate over a decision that took place among colleagues on your second day of vacation in an email thread and was resolved during your fourth day is a conversation you don’t need to relive. Too much productivity is lost upon returning to work dealing with email.
So go ahead and take a vacation and leave the stress of work behind you. Whether you take a trip somewhere or hang around the house with the kids, vacation should be a time to take a much-needed break. It should be anticipated prior and looked back upon fondly after the fact. It takes a little work, but you can relieve the stress and anxiety of not being at work with proper planning.
If YOU are ready to work toward higher performance and want some expert guidance, let’s have a conversation. Only if you feel ready, contact me to schedule a complimentary consultation at http://maricarmenpizarro.com/contact-mari-carmen/
