How Do We Recharge and Disconnect During Summer Holidays?

How do we unwind during our summer holidays? A question many try to practice and achieve, but some fail to succeed. It is vital that we learn in a world that is a fast-paced one on how to disconnect and recharge to get back to the office refreshed – and ready to start anew!

In this article will look into the following:

• How to unwind to start your summer holidays 
• Setting summer expectations
• And learning to disconnect from work 

💆🏻How do you unwind to start your summer holidays?

According to NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Health, states that it is vital to set reasonable expectations of your holidays and what you wish to achieve. Regardless of what your holiday break is all about – whether is family, visiting a new country, friends and so on – it is important to unwind before the departure. 

#1 💡 Make a ritual to check your emails before you go – or at least every morning

How stressful is it to leave and stay connected – especially if you’re traveling with family? Um, not very pleasant for your traveling buddies. Make it your mission to check emails before you go and are ready to disconnect when on holidays.

#2 🔥 Leave your working material at home

That’s right, if you’re traveling for pleasure, and you’re not planning to do home-office – leave work stuff at home! Taking your professional phone will only make it harder to unwind and disconnect. 

#3 📚Pack your reading a-game with you!

Vacations are a time to catch up with things you haven’t done in a while – and whether you’re not into reading, that’s ok because you can also play entertaining board games, thinking games and so much more. 

Take a pick on this list for great summer reads 👋

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How do we set summer expectations?

According to VeryWell Mind, setting realistic expectations is important to be able to achieve them and not feel like an absolute failure if we never do. There are several things we should keep in mind when setting off to our summer holidays. 

⛵️‍ Be realistic about the activities you’ll be discovering 

Set a realistic list of activities you’ll be doing, take into consideration that some activities due to the pandemic are not available. Set a list with activities you wish to do from high priority to low priority. 

🫶 Do not compare 

Checking your social media and seeing what others are doing while vacationing is not the healthiest way to go. You know how the saying goes: “comparison is the thief of joy.” Keep in mind that social media is a trap, and oftentimes people post to showcase their best moments, their happiness and at times – a fake reality. 

“People have felt the immense loss of fully engaging in their lives and are excited to reclaim those connections and activities, but it's likely that some have set themselves up for disappointment by setting unrealistically high expectations of how active and productive they'll be.”

— ISABELLE MORLEY, PSYD

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🥳 Start with small goals 

Start with setting small goals for your vacation. At times planning for activities during holidays can be stressful, and being on vacation defeats the purpose of taking some time-off to relax. 

For example: if you wish to sightsee several monuments and museums, plan out which ones will be beneficial to do on one-go and on the same day. Perhaps choose the ones that are nearby, taking into consideration timings, opening hours and how busy they can get. 

Also, keep in mind that while on vacation, so are other people vacationing, too. Crowded places can stress people out, so plan out your activities accordingly to your level of tolerance when it comes to crowded venues. 

So how can I disconnect entirely from work?

#1 👩🏽‍💻 Set ooo messages 

Set that “out-of-office” message prior to leaving for holidays. You want to let your colleagues, clients and peers that you’re logging off, disconnecting and won’t be available during your time off. 

Oftentimes, we feel shame or guilt for taking time off because we feel pressured to always be working, delivering and being on our a-game. That is not the case. Taking time off is important to recharge your energy, and come back more relaxed and refreshed. 

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#2 👋 Say goodbye to work while on holidays 

Seriously, disconnect. Avoid discussing work related, end a conversation and set boundaries with yourself and with people you travel with. 

#3 🛶 Go-off grid

If disconnecting is a hard and painful job for you, then planning around holidays where you’ll be forced to disconnect is the way to go. Sometimes we just need an extra push to really disconnect from work and our daily stress. 

For example: if disconnecting from work is an issue, plan a holiday where you’re required to do physical activities; for example a hiking trip, a holiday on an island, mountains, biking, etc. 

And when I come back from holidays, how do I reconnect?

This one can take a bit of time. Oftentimes, coming back to the office from a long and restful vacation can be hard and slow. 

⭐️ Take your time 

⭐️ You don’t have to reply to every email you receive on your first day back

⭐️ Set your priorities and what needs to be done in the first three days of returning from holidays

⭐️ Don’t stress. Stressing out can lead to panic and bad management of your timing, colleagues and projects. 

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