Holiday and Mental Health: Why rest isn't always easy

Teach year we repeat the same ritual: we count the days for the holidays, imagine the sea and the silence, or the countryside and the breeze, and dream of a body finally able to slow down. However, it is not uncommon for us to return more tired than we left – or until we got sick when we shut down the computer. As a psychiatrist, I sometimes observe this apparent paradox. Science helps us understand it.

The body also needs to learn to rest

There is a phenomenon known as “recreational disease”, described by Dutch researchers in 2002, which seeks to explain why some people develop migraines, mild respiratory infections or unspecific malaise at the beginning of the holiday. Although the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear, it is admitted that sudden interruption of a prolonged period of high demand may temporarily alter the regulation of the nervous system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-suprarenal axis and the immune response.

According to multiple authors, vacations are generally beneficial for mental health. It's not the rest that makes you sick. It is probably an organism that has been in “survivor mode” for too long and needs to regain balance.

Stress and Stress: Two Faces of Stress

Not all stress is harmful. Eustress corresponds to the positive energy of planning a trip, discovering a new place or learning something different. It can increase motivation, creativity and well-being.

The problem arises when the distress defined as a “negative stress” and as a state of psychological distress predominates, associated for example with cancelled flights that compromise holidays, family conflicts, excessive activities, guilt for “not being productive” or inability to turn off professional or school requirements. In these cases, holidays only become a change of scenery, maintaining the same state of psychological tension.

Holidays help, but they don't treat burnout

It is important to undo a frequent misunderstanding: holidays can help prevent burnout, but they do not treat it. The syndrome results from prolonged exposure to organizational factors, such as work overload, lack of autonomy, lack of recognition or value conflicts.

Although a period of rest may temporarily relieve symptoms, they tend to reappear rapidly if the conditions that gave rise to them remain unchanged. When intense tiredness returns a few days after the end of the vacation, it may be a sign that there is a problem that deserves clinical evaluation.

© Maria João Hector  

How to Promote True Recovery

• Make a gradual transition. Whenever possible, avoid finishing very demanding projects on the eve of leaving and book one or two days between returning and resuming professional activity.

• Practice a psychological disconnect from work. Activate an automatic response, reduce professional or school notifications and resist the temptation to consult the email “just for a minute”. Mentally disconnecting from work or study is one of the most consistent factors in the recovery of stress exposure.

• Choose active leisure, but no excesses. Walking, cooking, photographing, reading, being in nature or living together are activities that favor well-being. On the contrary, excessively filled schedules or unhealthy habits can limit the benefits of holidays.

• Keep some routine. Relatively regular hours of sleep and meals help the body adapt to changing rhythm.

• Have realistic expectations. Not every day needs to be memorable. Resting can also mean doing nothing without guilt.

The investigation suggests that the benefits of vacations depend less on the destination or duration and more on the ability to promote true recovery: disconnect from the usual demands, regain sleep, strengthen meaningful relationships and devote time to freely chosen activities. Ultimately, resting is not a luxury. It is a biological, psychological and social need, essential to preserve mental health and health as a whole.