Prepare for your break

Plan what tasks need to be completed before you go away and keep colleagues up to date with anything they may have to look after while you’re on holiday. “Make sure you have a clear out-of-office response that points people to an alternative contact who’ll handle things in your absence,” advises Skinner. “Ensuring your work is handled well in your absence is a great step to enable you to fully switch off. If another colleague is taking over, make sure they have all the required information, background and resources they might need, or they know who to ask if they’re missing anything.”

Reset and relax

Once you’re on holiday, allow yourself to fully disconnect from work. Although we all know that’s easier said than done, Mort has some helpful tips on how to do this. “One of the best ways we can switch off from work is by putting our mobile phone, laptop or other electronic devices used for work out of sight, or by removing any work-related apps from our phones for the holiday period,” she says. “By not having access to emails or the ability to ‘check in’, we can create the space to engage our minds in thinking about other activities and people and feel more present. Instead, we can fill this space with an activity that you miss when you’re working, whether it’s diving into a juicy book or taking the time to catch up on your sleep.”

Mort also adds that it’s OK for a holiday to be about relaxation; you don’t need to put pressure on yourself to create a jam-packed itinerary. “We often put high expectations on our holidays because few of us have the time and money to take them more than once or twice a year. Plus, we use this time to escape from our busy working lives,” she explains. “But the reality is, sometimes it can take us longer than we’d hoped to relax into a trip, as we’ve been running around trying to organise things in the lead-up. Try to let go of the idea of a ‘perfect holiday’ – that likely doesn’t exist – and instead enjoy making new imperfect memories and let it happen.”

How to successfully ask for annual leave – and fully switch off when you go away