Tips for Rest and Recovery this Holiday Season. For those with the chance to take a break, the end of year holiday season is a perfect time to switch off and get some rest. So, we’d like to share some tips for this holiday season – with ways to support your own rest and recovery, and ideas to help your colleagues do the same. Carving out even a short block of time, focused on you, can make a big difference.
Think of it like the ‘off season’ for football.
Why is rest and recovery important?
In elite and professional sport, the ‘off season’ is critical to achieving high performance. It helps athletes recover both physically and mentally. Athletes recognise the importance of downtime to let body and mind recover from the stresses of building up to, and performing, in peak times. As one professional runner said ‘I know how much my body will appreciate this time once I return to a daily training routine. (If I let my body fully recover) I always return excited for the next season and have a lot more fun.’ By allowing ourselves time to truly switch off, we’re more likely to return feeling recovered and ready for the year ahead.
Tips to help you relax and recharge this holiday season
- Give yourself permission to switch off
By recognising the benefits that rest and recovery can offer us – for performance and productivity, health and wellbeing, and avoiding burnout – it can make it easier to take time out. It’s not lazy or selfish; it’s helpful. A recent article by Forbes even goes so far as to say that holiday time is essential for ‘employee survival’, with time helping us feel more present and stimulated, reducing stress levels, improving sleep and our capacity to learn.
- Give yourself time to rest
The world’s largest survey on rest and wellbeing showed that two-thirds of us would like more rest and our ability to take rest is connected to our wellbeing.
The work was led by Durham University researchers who found that people who thought they got more rest than the average person had wellbeing scores twice as high as those who wanted more rest. The researchers concluded that our perception of rest matters, as well as the reality. So when you do rest, it is helpful to notice and acknowledge it.
If you’re now thinking about ways to rest, you might be interested to know what people rated as their favourite ways to rest. The five most restful activities were shown to be:
- Reading (58 percent)
- Being in the natural environment (53 percent)
- Being on their own (52 percent)
- Listening to music (41 percent)
- Doing nothing in particular (40 percent)
- Practice self-compassion
Self-compassion has become an increasingly popular term. It involves showing kindness and understanding towards ourselves and being tolerant of our own flaws and shortcomings.
Research shows that self-compassion is linked to positive mental health and increased positive wellbeing. It can be an important source of strength and resilience when faced with life stressors, transitions, or other life challenges.
It can be helpful to think about how you might speak to a friend in crisis – and turn that kindness you show to them, towards yourself.
Alternatively, you might like to try some mindfulness. Mindfulness can help us take a step back, get perspective, and notice what is happening around us, in a non-judgmental way. Smiling Mind and our YES Psychology website have some good audio exercises.
- Spend time doing activities you enjoy
Think about those activities in your life that you enjoy, the things that help you switch off from your worries, concerns, or your list of things to do. The answer will be different for everyone. For some us, spending time with family and friends, whether it’s a meal out, a BBQ in the park, going hiking, or going away on holiday, can help us relax, recharge, energise and stay connected.
Whatever it is that you enjoy, make some time for these activities this holiday break.
- Consider a ‘digital detox’
We are all becoming familiar with the challenges (as well as the strengths) of our devices. The connected world is undoubtedly an extraordinary step forward, but it can help to take a break from technology. The benefits of taking timeout can include:
- Sharper focus
- Less stress
- Better social interactions
- More control over your time
Author Johann Hari explores this idea in his book ‘Stolen Focus’. While Johann did a digital detox for three months on a remote island, we’re not suggesting you need to do the same. Even switching off for a short time can help.
How to support your colleagues
To support your colleagues to have a great break, think about:
- Modeling the right behaviours to help everyone switch off and recharge during the break – do a handover of your work before you go, and let people know who they can contact while you’re away. Don’t switch on ‘just to see how things are going’. The more you do this, the more you create the expectation that others should do the same.
- Noticing if a colleague is trying to do too much before they go on leave. A lot of us put pressure on ourselves before we go on leave. Reach out to them – you might be able to help them prioritise what is really essential for them to do; or offer to help out with something while they’re away.
- Welcoming back colleagues from holiday, grabbing a coffee and resisting the urge to move straight into work priorities. Provide your colleagues with a ‘soft landing’ back into work.
- Showing appreciation to colleagues that are working over the holiday season. Keep these tips for when they do take a break, at some other point in the year.
We hope you enjoy these tips and wish you all a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!
Read or Download our “Tips for Coping at Christmas time” – including dealing with stress, grief, working away and family gatherings.
Learn more about options to build employee wellbeing and resilience.