With our carefree holiday spirit left languishing by the sun loungers, we’re back to the harsh realities of work. Faced with the prospect of performance reviews and back-to-back deadlines, it’s all too easy to become mired in melancholy this autumn. But what if you could regain the holiday feeling at work? These seven uplifting steps won’t bring afternoon cocktails to your desk but will boost your spirits in the run up to your next travel adventure.
Kemal Kestelli Infinity pool
Change your routine: One of the most joyous things about holidays is the fact that we’re forced out of our normal routines in an unfamiliar environment. This sudden jolt out of auto-pilot, allows us to experience life in a much more intense way. You can replicate this same feeling at home by making simple tweaks to your well-worn daily routines. This can be as simple as taking a new route to work or going to see an art exhibition in your lunch break. You just never know who you might bump into!
Office Breaks Old DNA Folkert de Jong
Indulge yourself: Holidays are all about indulgence and treating ourselves well –something that’s often lacking when we return to our desks. Looking after ourselves is vital to our sense of well being and overall happiness. Whether it’s a weekly massage, a Friday lunch out with friends or going hula hooping after work, these all important acts of self care pay dividends to our happiness and to our mental and physical health.
Niko Si Hooping
Break out your comfort zone: Knowing that our time on holiday is finite pushes us to take more risks than we ever do in real life. Holiday romances spring up at the shake of a sun parasol as we chat to strangers in a way we never would on the tube. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones is essential to creating a feeling of progress and fulfilment. Whether it’s taking on a new project or simply chatting to a new staff member in the kitchen, these small acts are cumulative, boosting our confidence and overall satisfaction with life.
Enjoy the outdoors: Relieved from the tyranny of the desk, holidays are all about enjoying the great outdoors. Recharging by the beach, hiking mountains or taking off on safari, all help to lower blood pressure and connect us back to the natural world. On recent studies on prisoners in America, being exposed to nature documentaries reduced instances of violence by 26%. With stress levels often at peak velocity at our desk, it’s vital to take a break in nature once a day – even if it’s only a lunch break outing to the local park.
Spice Lates – Kew Gardens
Harness inner calm: If you’ve ever wanted to regain the holiday feeling and unleash it at your will, you can do now do so using NLP anchoring techniques. Next time you’re having a serene holiday moment on the beach, anchor the feeling by squeezing your thumb and middle finger of your left hand together in two quick successions. Then when you’re experiencing optimum stress levels at work, simply squeeze again using the same thumb and middle finger and you’ll be instantly swept back to your formerly serene state. Sound far-fetched? Give it a whirl and find out.
man practicing meditation in a park
Sample exotic cuisine: When we depart on holiday, we throw caution to the wind when it comes to sampling exotic foreign fare. Pork floss and frogs legs are fair game as we cast off our doubts in the name of daring Instagram holiday moments. But once back home, we quickly revert to creatures of habit choosing restaurants and dishes we feel safe with. To inject more culinary excitement into your lunch breaks, try out Archipelago – London’s most exotic restaurant or better still, make and eat your own Thai curry.
Office Breaks Venice Carnival
Plan your next trip: There’s nothing like holiday anticipation to put a spring in your step as you glide through the office in a wave of euphoria. Whether it’s a winter break to Essaouira or a spring break to the Venice Carnival, – the world really is your oyster and when you have paid leave. If the salary’s tight, book flights far in advance with Skyscanner or check out the myriad deals on Groupon. After all, the perfect antidote to getting over the post-holiday blues is to book the next one! Bon voyage.
Do you have any tips on how to regain the holiday feeling at work? Share your tips and suggestions here.