How can we fully switch off from work this festive season?

For the majority of us, the continued global issues such as the war in Ukraine, the distressing news from the Middle East and the cost of living crisis means that this year too, despite the pandemic having eased, has entailed considerable continuing pressures and stresses on the back of some already difficult years.  We are all having to adapt to more complexities in life as well as contend with anxieties about how things will unfold.   It means that our nervous systems can be in a state of heightened adrenaline and cortisol - the ‘survival threat state’ that gets activated even by anxious thoughts.   Being able to ‘switch off’ in a way that is truly nourishing takes some awareness and commitment.  Traditionally, the festive period would be a perfectly reasonable time to switch off and enjoy relaxing. This darker time of year can see a natural desire to draw inwards and hibernate.

Modern technology allowed us to stay connected during the pandemic, but it also has a habit of setting up addictive patterns of ‘doing’ and achievement.  The ‘ping’ of new messages can trigger this, and it’s hard to resist picking up our gadgets to check them.

So how can we switch off in a way that will be restorative for our bodies and minds, and help us to embrace the ongoing challenges of the pandemic with resource and resilience?

As someone who experienced work/life related burnout and developed ME/CFS, I know acutely how essential it is to recognise that the need for rest and unplugged spaces is as important as our need for water and food.

Now that so many of us are working remotely it can be even more complex to maintain boundaries between our work and home modes.  It’s not unusual these days to be receiving (and being tempted to respond to) work-related matter on emails that pop up in the evening or over the weekend.

Here are some simple tried and tested approaches and strategies to help you switch off from work this Christmas:

• Stick to the pre-designated ‘no work’ days

A couple of weeks ahead of the festive break itself, have a look at your diary and consider which days are definitely going to be ‘no work’ days and then put an out of office on them now or a line through the day in your diary.  As part of this, you might also think about on which day and at what time you will be ‘downing tools’ for the festive bank holidays and maybe longer if you have been able to negotiate it.

•  Plan some ‘recovery time’ before resuming work

When working from home it can feel a bit excessive or counterintuitive to take extra annual leave beyond the main public holidays.  However, if you are going to be busy with family or cooking or managing excitable children over the festive period, it makes sense to ensure you have some recovery time without anything planned before you return to work.

• Move from the addictive ‘doing mode’ to the restorative ‘being mode’

At times, just doing something on my to do list can be a way to relax, and this is valid as long as I am realistic, e.g. that ‘clearing my desk’ is unlikely to be achievable and that some tasks can wait.  Often, the only person putting pressure on me accomplish things is myself.  Being in a perpetual ‘doing mode’ can be easy when work is so easily available to us on our laptops, and sometimes it can be worth reflecting ‘what is it I am actually avoiding being with at the moment?’  Sometimes, it can be actually feeling my fatigue or some deeper emotion that I am avoiding.  In these instances, half an hour watching the clouds or listening to some relaxing natural sounds on YouTube is much more restorative.

•  Pop the ‘out of office’ auto replies on email and phone

Switch your answerphone to an out of office message.  Ideally, if you have a separate work phone try turning it off altogether or only checking it at allotted times.

•  Keep a good balance of activities and try to make the most of sunshine

Ensure that there is a good balance of activities not just chores!  Try to mix up pleasurable, low level activities, including getting some daylight, amidst the things that need to be done.  If you can carve out some time alone too, maybe in nature, this is very soothing and nourishing amidst the social engagements and demands of family dynamics at this time of year.

•  Imagine the bigger perspective that prioritises self-care

Finally, keep the bigger perspective in mind – it can help to reframe how you think about particular habits.  For example, reiterate to yourself that it’s ok to take some time off and that this is necessary and will have a benefit.  We need to be assertive with our boundaries in the spirit of self-care.

Written by Katherine Sewell, Business Support Manager with input from Charlie Adler, Specialist Occupational Therapist