An email drops at 7pm while you’re at the dinner table or taking an evening walk, but you read it and respond. If you’re the person sitting on the other end, you feel disrespected and not so important, right?
It’s 9pm but you’re checking work messages and your mind is racing. You’re one of those people who are always ‘“on call”. Then there are text messages that need instant responses – but do they really?
The world moves fast and we’re always on the go.
I’ve heard quite a few people say they prefer going to the office instead of working from home. “I just like keeping work and home separate,” said a colleague the other day.
Totally get it. I love the feeling that comes with working from home and shutting down my laptop at 5pm – though it doesn’t happen often.
You learn how to switch off from work and I’ve mastered that.
When I went on a solo vacation to celebrate my birthday in February, I firstly did a proper handover, and then I archived work groups, colleagues’ chats – sorry but not sorry – and added PR and media groups to the list.
These messages were coming in but in the background. I was not getting notifications, and they were removed from the main inbox.
My feed was just what I wanted to receive. Some messages didn’t need immediate responses, so I read them in the pop-up box. I do that all the time, by the way – and, again, sorry but not sorry.
Archiving chats, turning off work email notifications and muting all other Apps I use for work was the best decision ever. I mean, when you work in a newsroom, emails and messages drop all the time. These include police statements about all sorts of crime.
I don’t want to read about blood and gore while holidaying: archive. You must learn to do that too. I responded to some texts a week later. No one died and it wasn’t an emergency! Let that sink in.
It’s not easy, I admit. And, take it from me, I spent months working on how to completely switch off. At first, you will feel guilty that you haven’t read and responded to emails or messages, but remember, you’re on holiday.
Remind yourself why you need time off. Do exactly that and come back fully recharged. Well, kinda because I partied a lot and ocean water can tire you but for me, it’s good tiredness.
You cannot fully enjoy the holiday and recharge when your mind is still at work. If you do not stop and wind down, you will burnout.
Holidays must be seen as “essential maintenance”, says Onwaba Gonyora, director at Brahman Hills, a hotel in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Pause and ask yourself, how many times do you take time off work but you just can’t switch off?
“If we want to switch on stronger when we get back to work and everyday life, we have to learn how to switch off properly while we’re away.
Research supports the need for a proper break. A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that even one short holiday had positive effects on perceived stress, recovery, strain, and well-being, with some benefits still evident 30 to 45 days after the break.
“Taking a break should be viewed as essential maintenance, not an indulgence,” says Gonyora. “Most of us would never ignore a warning light on the dashboard of our car and simply keep driving as if nothing was wrong.
“Yet when our own bodies start sending signals; poor sleep, low energy, irritability, brain fog or constant exhaustion, we just keep going. A proper holiday gives you the chance to stop, breathe and recover, so that when you return, you are not just back online, you are back better.”
Mid-year fatigue has kicked and you’re running on empty. Time for you to take a break.
Gonyora shares tips to switch off – for real, rest and restore on holiday:
Do a proper handover before you leave: Winding down starts before you even set your out-of-office. Ensure your team or colleagues and your boss are well informed: they know what’s urgent, what can wait and who is accountable for what. A clear handover gives everyone confidence that your responsibilities will be taken care of in your absence and allows you to step away and truly relax.
Put your phone on flight mode: You don’t need to be unreachable all the time, but you do need time that belongs only to you. Start with a few hours each day when your phone is not calling the shots.
Leave that laptop at home: If it comes with you, it will tempt you. It’s easy to tie your sense of worth to your response time. Don’t! Holidays are not for “just a quick check”; that’s why you did a proper handover. Time away is for relaxing and restoring, being present, not productive.
Make your smartwatch less smart: Switch off the notifications and disconnect your smartwatch from Wi-Fi. Let it count your steps if you want, but do not let it pull you back into the noise.
Take long, slow walks: Nature has a powerful way of settling the nervous system. Gardens, mountains, open skies and quiet paths invite the body to slow down.
Spoil yourself without guilt: Book the spa treatment. Sleep in. Eat well, enjoy the dessert and linger a little longer over breakfast. Let yourself move slowly for a change. Let the conversation flow. Let the view hold your attention. Let your body remember what it feels like not to rush.
