For many people, the festive season is a time to get away from work for a while and enjoy some time with family and friends. However, many people don’t have the luxury of taking time off over the holidays.
For many people, the festive season is a time to get away from work for a while and enjoy some time with family and friends. However, many people don’t have the luxury of taking time off over the holidays. Even if you can’t get away for an extended break in December or January, here’s why it’s important to find time for a break.
Reduce stress and burnout
Burnout is a very real thing, and it occurs when people are too focused on their work, and not enough on their own well-being. Working long hours, taking work home with you, missing family events because of work – all of these contribute to burnout. Basically, a build of pressure and stress from work can result in burnout, which not only affects your mental and physical health, but can lead to disengagement from work and strained personal relationships.
To avoid burnout, it’s a great idea to get away from work completely, even if it’s just for a week. No calls, no worrying about the work left behind – just a quality break.
Health benefits
Taking time off from work definitely has benefits for your mental and physical health. Most notably, breaks help you avoid the symptoms of stress and burnout. However, if you continue to work non-stop in a stressful environment, you’re putting yourself at risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, inflammation and many other health concerns.
It’s also not uncommon for sufferers of burnout to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression, poor sleep and a lack of mental clarity. Taking proper breaks can help you avoid all these issues that stem from one place – stress.
A better work/life balance
Most people these days are becoming more focused on achieving a better work/life balance. We all love making money and being successful, but without time to enjoy that success, what does it really mean? There are plenty of ways to achieve a work/life balance, such as flexible working conditions, working from home or reducing the hours you work. Another is to take regular breaks away from the workplace.
With a proper break, you can spend time doing the things you love, whether it’s a holiday with the family, catching up with friends or getting stuck into a DIY project at home.
Improved family relationships
When we work too much, bring work home or spend too much time thinking or worrying about work, it affects those around us too. Many personal relationships become strained because people’s busy schedules don’t allow for enough time together. Whether it’s your partner, children, parents or friends, these personal relationships are extremely important for our overall happiness.
So, take a break and spend some quality time with your loved ones.
Increased motivation and productivity
There’s a common misconception that people who never take time off are great employees, but this is rarely the case. People who don’t take a decent break are often stressed, lethargic, find it hard to concentrate, and sometimes even downright unmotivated. This affects productivity to the point that working more hours can actually make you less productive than those who stick to a good schedule.
Taking time off lets you recharge the batteries and return to work feeling refreshed and ready to achieve results.
Overall happiness
Ultimately, taking time off is good for your overall happiness. It makes your home life, social life and work life better. So, don’t be afraid to step away from the desk for a week or two. The world won’t fall apart, but you’ll get to see that your life outside of work is just as important.
