Find it hard to switch off on holiday? A few tweaks to your approach can transform how you feel when you come home
On paper, it should be a home run. Sea, sun, socialising and no work for a week or two should leave us all recharged, rested and reinvigorated on our return. Of course, it doesn’t always play out this way.
For people used to being busy, who operate in plate-spinning mode for 50 weeks a year and who might consider 6.45am a lie-in, properly switching off doesn’t come easily.
This shouldn’t be a badge of honour though – it’s a major missed opportunity. Research continues to confirm the wide-ranging physical and psychological benefits: on mood, stress levels, cognitive function, immunity, even disease avoidance. It also benefits our productivity on our return – improving problem-solving, creativity, motivation levels and more.
There are, however, some simple ways to take advantage.
1 Firstly, drop the pressure
We often arrive on holiday, with recent work pressures hanging over us, along with the accompanying heightened levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine as travel companions.
A 2018 study by the American Psychological association found that stress levels spike during summer months, only adding to the importance of actively seeking out relaxation on holiday.
The classic mistake many of us slip into is to start applying our work brains to the business of having fun as soon as we land. You know the approach: ‘I must squeeze every last drop from this holiday’, sometimes through gritted teeth.
Not only does it create expectations that are impossible to meet, it will turn the holiday into a box-tick exercise if you let it. Slow down. Realise you’re adjusting. Decompress. Expect very little from the first day or two as you acclimatise your brain and body to the important business of not getting stuff done.
2 Take the sleep cure
So you want to swim, stretch, work out, meditate and do 10 laps of the pool before breakfast? If this is how you like to unwind, great – just don’t do it at the expense of sleep.
Holidays are the perfect chance to address your sleep deficit and reset your sleep/wake cycle in a way that will remind you how important sleep is to our overall health and performance levels. According to research, it’s likely to be higher quality sleep too, with more consistent cycles and more time spent in slow wave sleep. Don’t pass up this annual opportunity to reset these habits.
3 Let’s (not) talk about work
There are levels to how involved you need to be at work. Only you know which level you need (or want?) to be on.
A 2025 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, examining changes in wellbeing before, during, and after a holiday, found that the positive effects of a relaxing holiday could last up to 43 days after returning home, but with a caveat – the strongest gains came from those who managed to mentally detach from work.
As a starting point, decide on an approach before you go, like having a set time to check in, and stick to it. A total blackout can be counterproductive but be honest about how needed you really are on the wording of an email or a decision to switch suppliers. More generally, holidays are a wonderful opportunity to get some physical distance between you and your phone, even if it means just leaving it charging in the bedroom.
4 Do the decision-making before you go
The one thing worse than having too much planned in so you’re constantly checking your watch? Not having enough. Both extremes are equally liable to get stress levels rising.
As good holiday planners know, the secret is to put in place flowing and flexible itineraries that offer clear direction but can be easily switched up on the day. Because doing the hard yards at home – restaurant bookings, boat charters, day trip decisions – means it’s out of your hands once you arrive.
The uncertainty of having to scramble your day’s plans each morning on the other hand is a cognitive stress that never goes away. Several studies show that even the act of planning a holiday can improve mental health, while having holidays to look forward to are linked to higher levels of overall wellbeing.
5 You don’t have to fill every second
It’s tempting for the goal-oriented amongst us to even turn lying on a sunbed into an opportunity to hit some targets: podcasts listened to, crosswords competed, articles read. Just don’t underestimate the power of staring into space from time to time.
Studies have shown how small doses of boredom can help improve cognitive tasks like problem-solving. Equally, just being in nature has been shown to lower cortisol and blood pressure. While the link between daydreaming and creativity are long established.
Lin Manuel Miranda, creator of the musical Hamilton, credits switching off on holiday as the source of his greatest idea. “The lessons I try to hang on to from Hamilton are – it was one of the best ideas I ever had and it happened while I was on vacation, so take more vacations.”
