Taking a holiday is important for many reasons. Taking holidays makes people better able to deal with the daily challenges at work. It helps people gain new insights allowing them gain new solutions to problems, and it gives people a chance to spend time with their family and travel to other parts of the country.

As society reopens, it is a good time to take that long awaited and well-deserved holiday and recharge your batteries. Try these tips to make it stress free, and maximise the benefits of your break.

Think ahead

Try to plan your holiday well in advance. Do not leave it to the last minute or you could be in danger of not taking one at all.

Take your time

Plan at least a week or even two weeks, if possible, for your holidays since it usually takes a few days to relax and unwind and to stop thinking of work matters. After a few days, you will relax and know that you still have more holiday days left.

Get away from home

Get away from home if you can – especially if remote working has taken over a chunk of your living space. This allows you to leave your work responsibilities and decisions behind. The less reminders we have of work, the better.

Give your colleagues and clients pre-holiday notice

To allay the build-up of work that can happen before a holiday, leading to pre-holiday anxiety, plan to ensure that your colleagues can cover main work tasks while you are away. It is also important to communicate to clients well in advance that you are taking holidays.

Put your phone away

Put your phone away during holiday time, turn it off or put it out of sight. This will prevent you from checking work messages, emails and social media and allow you the time to relax. If necessary, make a holiday schedule on paper so that you are not tempted to check your phone.

Take a day off

When it’s not possible to get away for at least a week, having an extended weekend or giving yourself a breather day off during the week will allow you some time to relax.

After a year of so much disruption, grief, and anxiety, taking time away from work and your responsibilities is more important than ever.

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This article originally appeared in the 3 August Member eZine. For more information, and to subscribe, visit eNewsletters.