As I embark on a two week holiday in the Mediterranean I am struck by how hard it is as a professional person to switch off, to forget the challenges, worries and concerns of daily life and just concentrate on enjoying the break.
This is natural. It goes with the job. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor or management consultant it is not a 9 to 5 job. Your clients or patients and relationships with bosses and subordinates do not just go away because you are out of the country.
We can't all be like Winston Churchill who said: "Working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation."
So how do we switch off and at least of not forgetting them put these concerns to the back of our minds? Not doing so can ruin or at least diminish the recuperative effects of a vacation. I think perhaps the first thing to do is to acknowledge that this is likely to occur, especially during the first few days of your holiday and then again the last as you plan to go home again, and find ways to deal with and manage it.
I have no perfect answer but I think it is something around becoming immersed in the here and now of the holiday whatever that may be, the beach, the different climate, restaurants and places to visit. Getting the most out of the new country, language and culture or whatever form the vacation takes. Activities like cycling, skiing, tennis, swimming and running work well. It is hard to think of your office when you are snorkelling and looking at the local fish or embarking on a difficult red run at a ski resort.
It probably comes down to being able to compartmentalise your mind and focusing on what you are doing now, which is a healthy and positive thing to do anyway. We are of course privileged to be able to take holidays in the first place which keeps things in perspective.
This is natural. It goes with the job. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor or management consultant it is not a 9 to 5 job. Your clients or patients and relationships with bosses and subordinates do not just go away because you are out of the country.
We can't all be like Winston Churchill who said: "Working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation."
So how do we switch off and at least of not forgetting them put these concerns to the back of our minds? Not doing so can ruin or at least diminish the recuperative effects of a vacation. I think perhaps the first thing to do is to acknowledge that this is likely to occur, especially during the first few days of your holiday and then again the last as you plan to go home again, and find ways to deal with and manage it.
I have no perfect answer but I think it is something around becoming immersed in the here and now of the holiday whatever that may be, the beach, the different climate, restaurants and places to visit. Getting the most out of the new country, language and culture or whatever form the vacation takes. Activities like cycling, skiing, tennis, swimming and running work well. It is hard to think of your office when you are snorkelling and looking at the local fish or embarking on a difficult red run at a ski resort.
It probably comes down to being able to compartmentalise your mind and focusing on what you are doing now, which is a healthy and positive thing to do anyway. We are of course privileged to be able to take holidays in the first place which keeps things in perspective.
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