This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 12th Apr 2022.

As I was preparing for my well deserved Easter holiday break, with plenty of nature and family time planned, I started to reflect on the value of rest to our well being. Research shows we need downtime, to disconnect from remote work, busyness and computer work. When was the last time you really considered how important rest is to you and your health? Read on to learn more and start planning your next holiday time with intention!

Rest is a human right - Firstly, in case you were unaware, the right to rest and leisure is an economic, social and cultural right to adequate time away from work and other societal responsibilities. It is linked to the right to work and historical movements for legal limitations on working hours. The right to rest and leisure is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many other key declarations.

For me, rest (and life itself outside of work) is more important than work and therefore, the majority of the time, I prioritise my holidays over work and my downtime is non-negotiable. Ask yourself: where is your rest and downtime placed in your priority list? 

Preparing for your rest and downtime, fully! - I am currently preparing for my Easter break 2022. As well as planning some family time in the pyrenees mountain (Spanish side!), reserving accommodation and checking out suitable family hiking routes, I am ensuring I can switch off fully for work. Here is my preparation check list:

• Pre-notice of holiday time - For a few weeks, my email signature file has had the following pre-notice enclosed:

Easter break pre-notice: 13-20th April 2022

Advising all my email contacts early of my planned holidays.

• Calendar notification of OOO - I have also proactively advised my team, clients and collaborators that I am taking holidays during this time with calendar notifications, messages and comments in live meetings. I encourage my colleagues to include downtime and holidays into our shared calendar as a priority.

• Learn to love your Out of Office (OOO) - I actually get a buzz out of putting on my OOO message and tailoring the message, nearly always using emojis! I normally prepare a selection of OOO messages in a file to choose from and reuse. I have also shared these with colleagues and team-mates.

• Other channel notifications - Switch off work email notifications from your mobile phone and ensure you have also paused notifications on any other messaging tools or channels you may use for your day-to-day work comms.

• True disconnection - All of the above preparation will fall on barren ground if you don’t use your own self-discipline to truly disconnect and switch off during your holiday times. Hiding or tidying away your workspace and not having apps or notifications on handheld devices, are keys to your own mental health and organization.

• Easing yourself back to work - I have a rule for anything more than 4 days off, that I block my first few hours back at my virtual desk in my calendar, with no live meetings and to sort through any messages and ease myself back into work with consideration.

Quality of rest 

Rest should equal restoration in seven key areas of your life.

Saundra Dalton-Smith MD, wrote an excellent article titled “The 7 types of rest every person needs”, making it very clear that sleep is very different from rest. I have experienced this when I have tried to top up my energy levels with only sleep. When you have a rest deficit, what you may need is to top up your creativity and brain energy intentionally, or take a rest from emotionally draining relationships, for example. Until we recognise what drains us, in our whole life, taking a holistic view, we cannot distinguish between sleep and rest. 

We need both, Dr. Dalton Smith argues, outlining the seven types of rest, from physical (passive rest) through to creative and spiritual rest. I recommend taking a few minutes to read her article before you leave for your upcoming holidays so that what you have planned in terms of rest and recuperation is exactly what you need! 

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This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 12th Apr 2022.