Planning in everyday life and on your Fuerteventura holiday avoids stress.
Working overtime to finish the rest of the work before departure to Fuerteventura, quickly washing the last laundry, packing the suitcase, then taking care of the dog, cat, plants... - completely stressed you get into a rage at the smallest little thing. And all this only because you want to do everything before the (relaxing!) holiday. Do it better!
If you start your Fuerteventura holidays in stress mode, you may need more time to relax than your holiday allows and you risk spending it sick in bed instead of tanning on the beach. It's also an absurd mechanism: you put all your energy into work and preparations to recover from it during your holiday.
Those who work at full speed in their profession often don't notice the physical and mental overload. Only when the stress drops, namely during the first days at the holiday resort, does the body take the consequences: The immune system is weakened and the next infection is pre-programmed. In addition, many people have too high expectations of their holiday. It is not uncommon to feel disappointed and even more drained after the holidays than before.
That's why the Federal Association of German Internists (BDI) advises all stressed workaholics who are ready for a holiday to take a break in their daily routine, where they can deliberately switch off - including their mobile phone - and relax. "It is very important for physical and mental health to actually feel how you feel in everyday life, so that you can react to overload in good time and take the time every day for little holiday moments.
Whether this mini-holiday consists of a regular, undisturbed lunch or dinner, a daily hour of sport, walking or indulging in a hobby is irrelevant. What is important is that you neither think about your next appointments and projects to be completed nor 'use' this time for professional meetings.
Apart from these small 'holiday islands', which you build into your everyday life, you can prepare for the holiday season with a few tricks without stress.
Joint Fuerteventura holiday planning: The father wants sports activities, the mother wants wellness and spa, the son wants to go to the mountains, the daughter wants to go to the sea and everyone wants sun. To make sure that despite the different wishes and ideas it will be a relaxing holiday for the whole family, you should get together in advance and find a compromise that everyone agrees with. This can be a bit time-consuming, but it prevents long faces and thus a considerable stress factor.
Time planning and delegation: The right time to pack your suitcase is also a time of disagreement. While some people have everything ready two days before the start of the trip, others are advocates of the "last minute is enough" method. Which variant is less stressful is obvious.
The same principle of preparation applies to the workplace: Take a day off before the actual start of the holiday - and do this without telling your colleagues, so that no one from the office has the idea of calling and asking: "Could you just give me a moment?
You should also take the motto "delegate instead of going crazy" to heart. Most family members and colleagues are quite capable and willing to take over some items on your to-do list.
A restful homecoming: The last day of your holiday on Fuerteventura should be entitled "calmly". Sleep late and have a nice breakfast (the surfing, sailing and diving course was wisely completed yesterday), go for another walk on the beach, enjoy an hour of sunshine and visit this year's favourite restaurant - except for packing your suitcase, you should not plan more than these activities at the end of the day, so that you can end your holiday in a restful manner and recharge your batteries.
Spend your last two days at home before your workday comes back - the long-term relaxation effect is enormous.
To ensure that the stress of the first day at work does not ruin the recovery of the past two weeks, you should schedule all your appointments and meetings for the next few days, because you will have enough to do with your routine tasks and reviewing your (electronic) mail for the time being. And your colleagues have kindly taken care of the little things that occurred during your absence!
Relaxed until next time: If you have discovered your interest in chess or volleyball, yoga, photography or Indonesian food during your vacation, take it home with you. The more you integrate these cherished activities into your everyday life, the more "holiday islands" you will have. So that your next holiday will be relaxing right from the start!
(Edited from article by Heike Bludau)
Michel Robeers