{"id":133785,"date":"2020-12-21T11:13:39","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T10:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=133785"},"modified":"2020-12-21T11:59:49","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T10:59:49","slug":"tips-for-logging-off-from-work-during-the-festive-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/tips-for-logging-off-from-work-during-the-festive-season\/","title":{"rendered":"10 tips for logging off from work during the festive season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lucky enough to have a festive break from work coming up? With the stresses and strains of working in PR and communications<\/a> having taken an upturn this year, you deserve a break. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to need help with turning off your laptop and staying away from your inbox, here are ten tips from mental health professionals and fellow PR and comms people to help you get ready to rest for a while… (and then come back even stronger for 2021).<\/p>\n

1) Promise yourself you\u2019re going to have some proper time off to recharge<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018I know from personal experience that PR is a particularly stressful, full-on job: incessant client\/journalist demands on your attention just never seem to take a day off. But our productivity and our all-important need to be creative take a dive if we don\u2019t allow ourselves \u201coff\u201d time.<\/p>\n

\u2018Promise yourself that you\u2019ll have a complete break over Christmas to restore your energy. You wouldn\u2019t dream of not charging your phone battery \u2013 you also need recharging regularly.\u2019
\nSuzy Glaskie is a functional medicine certified health coach, founder of Peppermint Wellness<\/a> and host of the Wellness Unwrapped podcast.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Acknowledge that you need a rest <\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018One way that I’ve mentally prepared for the Christmas break is to acknowledge why it’s important to let myself truly switch off and that it’s not the end of the world if I miss something. This has helped me gain some perspective and will be useful to think back to if I find myself gravitating towards my inbox.<\/p>\n

\u2018Getting organised will also help me put my mind at ease. That’s why I’ve set aside my last half-day for tying up loose ends. I’ve also set my out-of-office to come on earlier so that I’m not tempted to pick up new projects in those last few hours.\u2019
\nBettie Moran is the outreach team lead at Glass Digital<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018This has been a terrible year emotionally and it is safe to say that nobody has escaped increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression. These are not mental illnesses: they are signals from our system telling us that things aren’t right and that we need to change something.<\/p>\n

\u2018The paradox of mental health is that the more stressed and anxious we are, the more we need to deal with it… but the less time we seem to have. Christmas 2020 is different. Total self care (and that of family) is compulsory: no messing about.\u2019
\nMark Newey is a psychotherapist and founder of www.headucate.me<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Pick your last day and stick to it<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018While you might be tempted to work through Christmas, this year more than ever, my advice is not to. I am not talking about shutting up shop for a month and flying away, because let’s face it, I am not even sure you could do that with the ever changing COVID-19 rules, but I am saying that it is OK, more than OK, to give yourself a break. Decide when your last day of work is going to be, and stick by it.<\/p>\n

\u2018It might take a couple of days to wind down, and you might also need a mince pie or two as well, but don’t set your alarm, take emails off your phone, get outside, take some exercise, don’t watch too much news and look after you over the festive period.\u2019
\nNatalie Trice<\/a> is a coach and mentor for PR professionals. <\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Prepare for your time off <\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018Preparation is key – make sure you have all loose ends tied up before the Christmas break. Being organised and letting clients know any hours the office will be closed and also flat planning for early January this side of Christmas will help you take a proper break from emails and being on call 24\/7.<\/p>\n

\u2018The news agenda is still running and still changing during the Christmas time off so having a news desk rota in the office for clients and media works well so everyone can share the load, perhaps running reduced hours for time pressing media requests.\u2019
\nLauren Lunn Farrow is the founder and MD of TheExpertAgency.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Pausing can be difficult for many who feel like they are spinning lots of different plates and terrified of dropping one. Stopping can seem almost anxiety inducing if you are used to going at 100mph and afraid that you might lose some of your momentum.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our top tips are: writing a comprehensive list on your last day of work so that you have something to come back to, turning off your notifications as sadly not everyone will be switching off, planning an act of self care each day to bring some intention to your time off and last, but not least, get that out of office on!\u2019
\nMental health campaigner Ali McDowall is co founder of The Positive Planner<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Tie up loose ends <\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018Plan ahead and make a clear list of the most important tasks that need to complete before you leave. This will also allow you to evaluate your workload while you still have enough time to get everything important done.\u2019
\nDavid Wiener is a training specialist at AI-based fitness and lifestyle coaching app Freeletics<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Break down milestones into the specific tasks that contribute towards achieving them. These tasks should be sequenced and worked through in order; one at a time.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you get the above done before you leave the office, you won\u2019t have any niggling thoughts to bother you while you\u2019re off – be fully present and make the most of your well-earned break.\u2019
\nDanny Sangha<\/a> is a clarity, alignment & confidence coach. <\/strong><\/p>\n

6. If you can, go cold turkey from all work communications<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018A lot of people have described 2020 as ‘living at work’ so this is going to take some more significant steps than usual to disengage from work. Go cold turkey. Set your out of office to tell people \u2013 categorically \u2013 that you are taking a break over the festive period and that you will not be reading their email, even when you return to work. Clear the house of visual signs of work: tidy up or shred any papers or notes around the house, completely clear any desk or table space you use, put your lap-top or PC into a drawer and lock it up. Delete your work email app from your phone – go on; remove all temptation.\u2019
\nStuart Duff<\/a> is head of development at Pearn Kandola.<\/strong><\/p>\n

7) In fact, cut down your phone time completely <\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018Set clear goals \u2013 ask a friend, a family member or partner to hide your phone\/laptop\/iPad while you are together \u2013 whether it is during dinner, or watching a movie, and focus on enjoying their company.<\/p>\n

\u2018Team up with friends and colleagues who wish to join the challenge of a digital detox. Put your phones together and make a point not to check them while you hang out. Leave your phone at home if you are going grocery shopping or to the gym.\u2019
\nDavid Brud\u00f6 is CEO and co-founder of mental wellbeing and personal development platform Remente<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

8. When you can\u2019t get to a spa, create one at home <\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018Create an ambiance with lighting, music and aroma for a spa hotel feel at home. A few simple changes such as moving a table lamp can give a room a new relaxing lighting feel. Play relaxing music to switch your mind off from stress and worries. Try an aromatic candle or diffuser to fill the air with a calming scents.\u2019
\nAilsa Frank<\/a> is an author and hypnotherapist.<\/strong><\/p>\n

9. If you must think about work, consider how to make it work better for you<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018The Christmas period is the ideal time to think long and hard about our relationship with work and what is and isn\u2019t working for you. Check in with yourself and how you\u2019re feeling. Be honest about whether your work is affecting your relationships. What are your energy levels like? Are you becoming depleted? Let\u2019s go into 2021 with new, healthier habits.\u2019
\nDr Nerina Ramlakhan<\/a> is a neurophysiologist and sleep expert.<\/strong><\/p>\n

10. Now, make like Elsa and \u2018let it go\u2019 for a while<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u2018There is so much pressure to strive for perfection, exacerbated by the photoshopped unreality of social media. It\u2019s ok if you buy the Christmas cake and don\u2019t make it. It\u2019s ok if the beds aren\u2019t made every day. It\u2019s ok if you don\u2019t see all of your friends and family – especially this year. If something feels like it\u2019s too much, then let it go and enjoy a very Merry Christmas.\u2019
\nTara Best is a business coach, runs PR and marketing agency Tara Punter PR<\/a> and hosts weekly podcast Tara Talks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ready for your eventual return to the office? Check out 11 ways to mentally prepare for returning to the workplace<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Need help logging off from work over the festive season? Here are 10 tips from mental health professionals and PR and comms people to help you get ready to rest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":133790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7365,7272,3725,7238],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133785"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133800,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133785\/revisions\/133800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}