It may seem obvious for many people, but unplugging from work and setting time for yourself can have long-lasting effects on your physical and mental health. In fact, time away from work is essential to mitigate feelings of burnout, to support your well-being, to engage in physical activities, and to improve family relationships. Despite these advantages, a recent study show that more than 40% of American workers do not take all their paid time off, that many faculty members consistently work >50 hours/week (in some cases even more), and that this trend continues over the summer. While some people may have the idea that faculty members have summers off (or that are actually paid to have summers off), many of us see summer as an opportunity to make progress in our scholarly work, pushing the boundaries of our work/life balance. That said, current research shows that taking a break could provide great benefits to your own health, to your productivity, and to the overall organization. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization (ILO) reported sufficient evidence for higher risks of ischemic heart disease and stroke amongst people working long hours (≥55 hours/week), compared with people working standard hours (35–40 hours/week). In other words, working long hours for an extended period of time is simply not sustainable and (just like any other activity) you need to consider recovery.
First, consider that your brain will benefit from a break
A recent study published by the American Psychological Association provided an opportunity to increase our understanding of the different factors that play a role in this vacation–well-being relationship. They conducted a meta-analysis using 32 studies that included 256 effect sizes to examine how employee well-being levels change due to vacation, revealing large effects on well-being that does not fade out as quickly as previously thought. The results also showed that vacation length, national culture, and number of nationally mandated vacation days moderate this relationship, but the role of vacation location (i.e., away from home, at home, or a mix of both) remains unclear. According to the HBR, giving yourself the opportunity for rest and catch-up on sleep (both quantity and quality) can alleviate sadness, anger, frustration, and irritability. In turn, these changes can help unclutter your mind to create more mental space, allowing you to think more clearly and creatively.
Second, try to (truly) disengage from work
As recently noted, the beneficial effects of recovery are based on the effort-recovery model (ERM) and conservation of resources (COR) theory. Briefly, these two concepts provide a framework related to the need to balance work-related stressors with activities that help one’s psychophysiological systems to return to prejob stress levels. The longer we ignore this, the higher the chances to suffer from more harmful effects (chronic health issues and disease), highlighting the critical need to disengage from work on vacation for maximum well-being benefits. For example, research shows that physicians who worked during a typical vacation day (such as performing patient-related work) experienced significantly higher rates of burnout. These results become specially relevant if we consider that many employees prioritize email over vacation time and that such pattern can significantly affect family dynamics. Breaking this pattern is definitively easier said than done but you may consider the following options:
- Turn off notifications for work-related apps and disable automatic push and fetch options on work email accounts. These simple steps will remove the constant ding and allow you to focus your attention on other tasks. If you need help with this task, you may follow these instructions (iphone) or contact CCIT.
- Setup an automatic reply, letting people know that you are away form the email and that you will respond when you get back to work. If being disconnected from your email causes anxiety (and this is very common), you may consider including specific information in the automatic reply. For instance: Many thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, I am currently on break and have very limited email access. Thus, I’m asking that you please consider resending your email after _date_. If you need an immediate response, please contact the Department’s main office at _phone_ or _email_. It may take a few days, but most people will respect your boundaries and either find help somewhere else or circle back if only you can address the issue.
Third, use your time to engage in something different
If we now consider your break from work as recovery time, it would be important to bring up the difference between recovery activities and recovery experiences. Although more information can be found in this article, the former concept relates to what people do to unwind during non-work time (physical exercise, hobby, socializing, etc) and are clearly different from household chores. The latter refers to a broader psychological states people are in during non-work time (psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control). While both (activities and experiences) have shown positive impacts on well-being, vacations provide a prime opportunity to engage in deeper recovery experiences. For instance, findings revealed that engagement in entertainment, light recreation, social, and cultural activities positively affect psychological detachment. Including meditation in your vacation can also increase mindfulness, lower levels of fatigue, and higher levels of well-being than an “ordinary” vacation during which meditation was not practiced. If you want to know more, this TEDx talk specifically discusses how to make the most of your vacation time and why people take a vacation.
Last but not least, develop a plan for the return-to-work days
A famous quote (attributed to Lyndon B. Johnson) says “Nothing comes free. Nothing. Not even good, especially not good.” The quote gains relevance when we consider how academics respond to time off, simply because returning to the daily obligations represents a challenge and not all of us respond in the same way. For instance, people that tend to be self-critical or perfectionistic (doubts about actions), reported higher levels of fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety when returning to work – mediated by their own tendency for perseverative cognition about work during the break itself. While people often report pre-vacation levels of well-being within just 1-4 weeks after returning to work, there is also evidence that leisure time relaxation experiences after vacation seem to decelerate this trend. To make your return easier, you may consider setting boundaries for the hours of work and non-work activities, a more flexible schedule or a shorter schedule, or avoid taking complex tasks within the first few days after returning.
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