The year is coming to an end, festive decorations are showing up all over the workplace, and you’ve started receiving out of office auto-replies from colleagues and clients. Between the shock and exhaustion from the last couple of years and the game of “catch up” that this year became, we all had to remain vigilant and adaptive to stay on top of things in both work and life. Even those of us who have done well to remain decisive and adaptive are probably feeling the fatigue that comes from such diligence.
The holiday season presents a perfect opportunity for us all to reflect, relax, re-fill, and re-energise. It’s important to take time away from work to focus on yourself and what you need. Do you need rest? Do you need quality time? Or, do you need adventure? Self-advocacy is vital to health and wellbeing, so it’s important that you self-modulate and give yourself permission to relax and take up some quality self-care this holiday season. Below we discuss a few ways you can take the opportunity these holidays to relax and reset.
Switch off and embrace the holiday time away from work
Your mind needs a variety of stimulants to stay healthy, it can’t focus exclusively on work. Using all of your brain power on work can lead to unhealthy “escape” habits such as watching too much TV, eating unhealthy foods, avoiding exercise, and staying up late.
“Our bodies and minds need proper breaks from the workplace…”. The benefits of taking a break from work can include reduced stress, improved mood, improved sleep, better social life, reduced risk of heart disease, and greater workplace productivity when you return (although we don’t need to focus on that last one until next year).
Enjoy your hobbies
Writing a journal, playing an instrument, or making artwork are all great examples of hobbies that we can use holiday time to revisit. Hobbies require focus and attention, which can be a great way to switch off from work (as discussed above).
Hobbies present a unique type of challenge that we get satisfaction and joy from engaging with and completing. This “flow” we get into when doing hobbies can place our minds completely in the moment and move us away from thinking about work or other stressors. The neuro-cognitive benefits of hobbies are also widely discussed, suggesting benefits such as better memory and reduced risk of dementia.
Nurture your relationships and connections
The holidays are a great time to connect with those who are important to you, whether its friends, family, or neighbours (or even your beloved pet!). As we have discussed in a previous blog, connections with others need time and work invested into them to be positive and healthy. The benefits from good connections can build our empathy and strengthen our support networks!
Making time doesn’t always mean a catch-up over coffee or drinks: you can include them in your holiday plans, call them on the phone or via video call, engage in a mutual hobby, or simply make time to send a gift or letter to let them know you’re thinking of them.
Enjoy physical activity and exercise
Physical exercise is a great activity that can sometimes be put on the back burner when work gets busy, especially towards the end of the year. Use this holiday time to move your body and reignite habits of exercising.
You could catch up on your usual sporting commitments, play backyard cricket, or go on a morning walk. Just 30 minutes of exercise a day can have noticeable benefits to your physical health and mental wellbeing. Better still, as we have seen in a previous blog, doing exercise in teams or with other people can cultivate camaraderie, build empathy, and engage us in healthy competition!
Reflect, re-think, and express gratitude
Our time away from work at the end of the year is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year past, re-think what we want to get out of next year, and be thankful for who and what we already have in our lives. Reflection and gratitude can provide piece of mind and often facilitates positive cognition of things going on in our life, influences overall happiness, improves productive performance, and reduces burnout. Starting the new year with healthy goals and a positive mindset can make a world of difference and bolster a strong foundation for resilience and longevity.
We hope you can take at least one of these ideas with you into your time off. From the Ford Health team, have a safe and relaxing break and happy holidays!
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