Science says: not turning off your email on vacation can be deadly
It sometimes seems like I am an endangered species, but I stubbornly keep going. On vacation, I don't check my email. Period. I remove my email even from my phone and I exit group chats. This is not because I am averse to working, but because I deliver better work when I occasionally log out completely.
It's always nice when science decides to back up your point of view, thanks World Health Organisation. Research shows that the unhealthy work mentality has increased due to the pandemic. What am I saying? A workday now lasts an average of 49 minutes longer in America since corona, and that surely applies to us as well.
If you were already easily overworking before corona, you are now in serious danger. The WHO researched long working hours and if you work 55 hours a week or more, the risk of heart disease or stroke increases by 29 percent. Wow, that's quite a number. Work-related death currently affects 745,000 people per year and guarantees psychological issues later in life. I find that a lot.
Why is the WHO ringing the alarm? Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explains: “The way of working has changed since the pandemic. Working online via your phone is the norm, research shows. But no job is worth a stroke or heart attack.” Hear, hear. The WHO emphasizes that free time is not a bonus that comes with your job, but that disconnecting from work is essential if you care about your physical and mental health.
What all this has to do with your email, you naturally want to know. Regularly going on vacation is key if you want to keep things mentally in order, but it is even more important to break contact with your work. Finnish researchers discovered that detaching from your work and relaxing are the two most important components to stay mentally okay. By the way, it doesn't matter whether you go bungee jumping or sunbathing on a beach.
Traveling helps just a little bit more, if you need an excuse to escape your home. Being out of the usual environment, wearing different clothes, and even setting your alarm (not or) at a different time is already a vacation.
Tip: this way you can hold on to that vacation feeling extra long.
By the way, it doesn't help if you work yourself to the bone all year and then suddenly take time off. Research also shows that occasionally taking a day for yourself without having to work is the best solution. About one day a week, because then you stay the healthiest. Nah, I suspect that the weekend is really perfect for that.
These are already the most hilarious out of offices, because if you do it, do it well and funny.
Source: CNTraveler
