Take Time Off

It’s pretty much holiday time, time for us to enjoy the summer and either head of somewhere warmer or get outside in our own neighbourhood and enjoy the local sun. We can ease into a few weeks of not working, letting go of the usual daily grind to refresh, recuperate and relax.

What this looks like for you will be different to what it is for me. Many people find lying in the sun, reading books all day the perfect way to spend their time off. The reader is taken away to another world immersing themselves in the lives of others. It doesn’t matter whether you are at home or abroad, losing yourself in as many books as possible over the course of your one or two weeks off, gives you that break from work and/or the usual day to day. You come back feeling refreshed and ready to get back to it.

However, others prefer to go and explore new places or those areas around you. Getting out and seeing the world is what you crave to feel rejuvenated. You are out of the usual daily routine and time means nothing, it doesn’t matter when you get up, (well, it may do if you are at a hotel and want to eat breakfast before you go out for the day), but your day is not timed. Giving you the freedom to go where you want, when you want as well as eat or drink when the mood takes you.

Maybe you prefer a little of both, spending some time exploring and then relaxing. The most important thing about your holiday or vacation is to do it your way. You have to do what works best for you to feel relaxed and ready to get back to it.

Of course there are many people who never take holidays, unless told to do so by their manager. Believe me, I cannot believe how often we end up chasing people at work to take time off. It is so amazing to have a dedicated workforce, who love their jobs so much they don’t want to stop working. But trying to get them to see how important it is for their mental health can be a challenge. If they aren’t going away anywhere, then they feel it is a waste taking the time off, despite being away from work.

Everyone needs to take time off, otherwise you end up running on empty and being so consumed by work that you don’t see how worn out or even burnt out you are.

So please give you mind and body a break, schedule your holidays, and switch of your laptop or pc or whatever devices you work on and stop. Yes it will take a few days to get into it and not be thinking about what you have to do next, or the task you should have done weeks ago, but it is worth it.

Let it go. Handover what you need to before you go on holiday and do your best to forget about it all. There is nothing you can do once you are away and it forces you to STOP. (Don’t even think about taking your laptop with you on holiday). The work will be there waiting for you when you get back. Put it out of your head until the day you are back in the office and ready to begin again.

Perhaps it’s fear stopping you from taking the time off or worry you’ll have forgotten something. Or maybe you are so out of practice, you really can’t remember what it was like to have the time off.

So sit down and breathe, think about all the things you want to do whilst on holiday and focus solely on it. Anytime you start to think about what could be happening or what you should have done, stop, breathe and reset.

Before going on holiday you will have let everyone know, you will have put an out of office on and will have done all you could to ensure things will go well whilst you are out. You likely worked twice as hard in the days leading up to it and were so productive you surprised yourself. Now is the time to put your feet up.

So as you start planning or even packing for your next holiday, be kind to yourself and know you will have done all the preparation you could for being away. I know it can be challenging to take time off, but book time in each quarter to ensure you are regularly in the habit of caring for yourself.

Have a great week and if you have yet to book in your summer holiday request at work, I urge you to go and do it. Why wouldn’t you want to get paid to take time off? You’ve worked hard and earned it.

Happy Summer to you all. Take care and look after you.

Love Emma xx