Take care of your recovery in the summer too - Here's how to prepare for the holidays ahead

Tips for a restorative holiday:

Clarify your work situation

• Divide your work tasks into three parts: what needs to be completed before the holiday, what you will delegate to a potential summer replacement and what you prefer to leave to be done after the holiday. 
• Write down the different tasks so that you know where you stand and it's easier to see the big picture. The list will help you to ensure that essential work gets done and that things that need to be taken forward during the holiday can be delegated.
• A sense of control over your work will reduce the stress of taking a holiday. It's also easier to pick up work again after a holiday if you've noted down what you left before the holiday.

Stop to think about your hopes, expectations and plans for the holiday

• Think in advance about what you want from your holiday: some people enjoy making plans in advance, while others prefer to be able to forget the clock and calendar altogether.
• Have a holiday planning session with your loved ones. Remember to listen to each other's wishes and think together about what you could do to make everyone's holiday a success.
• Make sure that even in the midst of all the things to do, there's room to be, to admire the clouds and eat strawberries.
• It's good to keep your expectations low to avoid disappointment from unrealistic goals. You will find the holiday restorative when you dare to say no to accomplishments and sometimes even to nice things if they start to fill up your holiday calendar too much.

Cut off the work-centred mindset

• It's easy to get caught up in work issues when you move from a hectic work schedule to a more relaxed pace. If possible, settle in for a break during the last few days of work.
• A variety of holiday rituals and routines can help you get away from the work routine and get into a restorative mood. A change of scenery or even celebrating the end of your holiday with loved ones can help to support the transition.
• As working life becomes a hybrid model, many teleworkers have laptops and phones sitting in their home office within easy reach. Everyone should take a moment to consider how they can transform their home environment into a holiday environment. At the very least, it's a good idea to silence the Teams from the phone and put the computer on the bottom shelf of the wardrobe, for example, to wait for the return to work.

Respect your holiday enough

• Some of us have a more flexible approach to work life, and answering a single email or phone call during a holiday does not cause undue strain. However, for the majority of employees, this is not necessary and work is left at work when they leave for their holidays. You can remind people of your limits, for example, by auto-replying to their emails - this way no one has to guess whether you are available for work during the holiday.
• Remember that holidays and time off are primarily for you, not your work. Holidays give you the chance to relax more than usual, to do meaningful things that you don't always have the time or energy to do in your everyday life. 
• However, filling a holiday with only the tasks accumulated during the year can bring additional stress and pressure instead of successes and a reduced to-do list. It's not forbidden to do things on holiday, but listen to yourself carefully so that your holiday doesn't turn into a work camp.