Less is more – so the holiday feeling lasts longer in everyday life!

In summer, relaxing by the sea or in the mountains is part of the standard of living for many. As long as the account balance plays a part. No appointments, no alarm clock, some exercise, good food. The change of location is conducive to leaving the stress of everyday life behind.

Only those who recover regularly remain healthy
According to studies, the amount of stress hormones such as adrenaline in our body decreases when we are not working. At least once a year, two weeks of vacation in a row, better three, experts advise. It can take up to 14 days, and in some cases more than 14 days, to really recover and reduce stress hormones.

Relaxation should come first. And the best thing is to start planning your trip. Those who allow themselves to be stressed by airports and overcrowded train stations should avoid them. Because a journey always has a way back. And if the flight degenerates into a stress factor, then the recovery has gone faster. It is often better to stay at home or in a neighboring country instead of flying for 13 hours with a time difference. When the red light on the (energy) tank lights up, every driver immediately gets off the gas and heads for the next filling station. Boredom is relaxing, says Viennese neurobiologist Marcus Täuber. He advises starting a vacation with two or three days of no activity. Because only when the thoughts come to rest can the good feelings arise.

Less is more – boredom is relaxing
At home, however, the beneficial effect of the trip often wears off after a week. And then he has us again, the hustle and bustle of work with the tiring side effects such as constant availability, increasing need for mobility, overtime and stress. Family and other private obligations can also be a real drain.

The energy tank gives up to three weeks after a trip. Part of the recovery is usually gone after a week. To avoid exhaustion, breaks, weekends and holidays are urgently needed, because only those who recover regularly remain healthy – and can summon the full performance if necessary.

The greater the workload after a break, the faster the holiday effect is gone. If possible, don’t go all out right away.

So you cannot restore to reserve. If you want to make the constant stress of everyday life more bearable, you have to look for small escapes. There are wonderful little self-created moments that take a break from everyday life. These rituals are important. Because if you allow yourself such conscious mini-time-outs, you will come back to the here and now strengthened and relaxed…

“Starting work on Wednesday instead of Monday”
Gliding gently back to everyday work will help you get more out of your holiday! Tips for more relaxation, quality of life and fun. “It’s best to come back from vacation on Wednesday instead of Monday. That way you don’t have a whole working week waiting for you,” advises leadership coach and personality trainer Kilian Christanell.

If possible, take it easy on the first working day after your holiday. It makes sense to create a structure for the first day of work, for the first week. To process emails or exchange ideas with colleagues, it is best to set up an appointment block for the time after before you start your journey. This ensures that the first working day is not scheduled with other people’s appointments. “Breaks are very important and necessary, I take them too,” he says. “Staying offline is popular during breaks, so I don’t read emails on my smartphone during this time.”

Spending the first day exclusively at the office is not ideal. A walk during the lunch break provides exercise and supplies the body with oxygen. Walking to an appointment also has this effect. Healthy food (maybe a Greek salad based on a vacation in Greece) gives you energy. Finding new places, taking a different route to the office, being a bit of a tourist in your own city – they can all be little escapes from everyday life.

Or else? Create schedules for the day or the whole week. Organize lists, sort them by color according to subject areas, to process tasks faster. Check off what has been done so that successes become visible. E-mails may only be read and processed on the PC/laptop at fixed times, so that you do not overload yourself. Turn off beeps and notifications to avoid unnecessary pressure.