Summer holidays, managers, career and stress

Have you ever thought that going on summer holiday might be more stressful than being at work? A 2010 study by the UK’s Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), questioned 2,500 of its members about attitudes towards taking a long summer break. It found forty per cent of managers don’t feel relaxed after returning from a holiday. A worrying finding was that many workers came back from a holiday more stressed than when they left. Those in both lower and upper management positions had worked while they are on holiday. Around 80 per cent of those surveyed answer work-related emails, around 50 per cent make and take business-related phone calls and 10 per cent go into the office. Over 90 per cent of managers worried about returning to hundreds of e-mails. 

The study revealed it takes approximately two days and seventeen hours into a holiday for those surveyed to feel totally relaxed. Ten per cent of managers said it took them up to a week to fully get into holiday mode. Do you see yourself taking that long to relax? 

The current economic climate and fear of redundancy encourages people to feel they need to be in touch with what’s going on at work and hitting targets. However, it’s important to allow time to unwind. Only you can do that for yourself, no one else can do it for you! 

Do you deserve a bit of relaxation and time to feel revitalised? I bet you do, but how can you balance work and holiday? If you really believe you cannot stop working entirely, set yourself a limit for checking emails, correspondence or calls. Putting aside one afternoon to focus on just work is a good idea. Discuss with your partner so they know the pressures you are facing too and how they might be able to help. Planning with a partner or a relative to take the children out for an afternoon to enable quiet for work concentration can be one way to ensure you keep to any time limit you set. In the same way you plan work in, make sure you plan in free time with family and switch off your office technology too. 

Plan time for your wellbeing and fun with family and friends. It might be an unfamiliar work ethic, though I know the most capable managers in the long run are those that make time to truly relax and have happy memories of summer holidays to see them through the most demanding career. Those unread emails can wait.   

I can help you with managing stress, insomnia or just feeling more in control. See below links:

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About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich. Norfolk Clinic reception on 01603 660792 or directly on 07773 610816. She loves helping other people achieve their potential at work and in life and achieving happiness using a range of therapeutic techniques.