Summer vacation: Relax - but properly!
Many people find it difficult to really switch off from work during the vacations. Six tips for a stress-free and relaxing vacation.
Summer vacation - finally relax! But relaxation also needs to be planned. With our six tips you will succeed in switching off from work.
1. preparation is half the battle
Before you leave, work through all important and urgent work that you cannot delegate. Define a substitute, instruct them - and then trust the person to have the work under control. Inform your customers and delegate tasks for ongoing projects.
2. stay offline
If you take your smartphone or tablet with you on vacation, you'll quickly be tempted to check your work emails, quickly answer a customer inquiry. Leave it at home - or at least turn off the push messages of the mail program and resist the temptation to look at your mails. A clear out-of-office message informs your contacts that you're not there, your mails won't be read while you're away - and when you'll be available again.
If you absolutely have to be reachable, make clear arrangements with your colleagues before you leave: The voicemail will be checked no more than once a week and you can only be reached by phone for absolute emergencies - and only once a day at pre-determined times.
3. do not take work with you
Working documents, files and technical literature have no place in your luggage!
4. seek distraction...
From full throttle at work to doing nothing on the deck chair - often this sudden change is difficult and instead of the previously dreamed-of relaxation with the sound of the sea, thoughts just keep wandering back to work. If you shut down too quickly, you can even get sick: When the stress hormones in the body suddenly drop from 100 to zero, the immune system also goes down. The only thing that helps is distraction: for example, a hike, trying out a new water sport, visiting a museum, strolling through the city or enjoying a cultural event.
5. ... but do not overdo it!
If you plan your vacation so full that you have no time for leisure, you will not recover properly either. The idea of performance should not be the first priority on vacation - do not plan top sporting performances or a continuous cultural program. Experts advise to plan the vacations carefully - for example, to plan more physical activity in the first week and to slowly reduce the activity. Then, in the second week, it's okay to laze around.
6. cherish memories
Recreation research shows that the positive effect of a vacation can be preserved to a certain extent through conscious memory: For example, by using a vacation photo as wallpaper, music from the vacation spot or a souvenir on the office desk.
