Speaker 1: Do you remember the last time you got back from
Speaker 1: a holiday. How long did that holiday after go? Last? For?
Speaker 1: Maybe a month or more like a week, or maybe
Speaker 1: an hour. New research shows that a well planned getaway
Speaker 1: can boost your well being for up to forty three
Speaker 1: days after you've unpacked your suitcase. But not all breaks
Speaker 1: are created equal. Today, I'm going to share with you
Speaker 1: the surprising science behind maximizing your time off, including why
Speaker 1: that expensive cooking class might be a waste, how mixing
Speaker 1: home and away time creates the perfect formula, and the
Speaker 1: number one factor that determines whether your holiday benefits last
Speaker 1: for days or well over a month. Welcome to How
Speaker 1: I WI, a show about habits, rituals, and strategies for
Speaker 1: optimizing your day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha imber So.
Speaker 1: I just got back from three nights down the coast,
Speaker 1: where I naturally tried to optimize for well being benefits
Speaker 1: morning beach walks for natural daylight exposure shortly after aking. Yep,
Speaker 1: did that strategic coffee consumption time perfectly between cortisol peaks? Yeah, obviously,
Speaker 1: methodically alternating between fiction and nonfiction reading to balance my
Speaker 1: cognitive load. Yes, indeed, But then I stumbled across this
Speaker 1: new research, and I've discovered that I've been missing a trick.
Speaker 1: It turns out that those coastal benefits have the potential
Speaker 1: to continue working their magic for up to six weeks
Speaker 1: after returning to work, which means there's a whole new
Speaker 1: dimension of post holiday wellbeing that I need to be
Speaker 1: paying attention to. So let me share with you what
Speaker 1: I wish i'd known for planning my getaway and how
Speaker 1: you can optimize your next break for the longest lasting
Speaker 1: benefits possible. So new research published in the Journal of
Speaker 1: Applied Psychology analyzed thirty two different studies and found that
Speaker 1: while yes, our wellbeing does decline after returning to work
Speaker 1: from a holiday, it actually stays higher than pre holiday
Speaker 1: levels for quite some time. So how long you might
Speaker 1: be asking? Well? The researchers estimate the positive effects could
Speaker 1: last for up to forty three days, that is nearly
Speaker 1: six weeks of residual holiday goodness. But here's the thing.
Speaker 1: Not all holidays are created equal, So what makes for
Speaker 1: the most beneficial break well? The data revealed some interesting findings.
Speaker 1: So first up, mixing home time plus a way time
Speaker 1: was far better at providing a greater well being boost
Speaker 1: than trips that are spent entirely away. Next, the researchers
Speaker 1: found that longer holidays gave people a bigger initial boost
Speaker 1: in well being once they're back, but there's a trade
Speaker 1: off because longer breaks showed a steeper well being decline afterwards,
Speaker 1: kind of like the holiday equivalent of a sugar crash. Next,
Speaker 1: physical activity matters. So of all holiday activities that you
Speaker 1: could be doing, moving or doing some exercise delivered the
Speaker 1: strongest well being benefits. Now a couple of others. Complete
Speaker 1: disconnection is crucial, so mental detachment from work was the
Speaker 1: number one factor for maximizing holiday benefits. And finally, passive
Speaker 1: activities don't actually help all that much, so simply resting
Speaker 1: without engaging in active pursuits minimal impact. So sorry, Netflix addicts,
Speaker 1: The science has spoken. But perhaps most surprising, or at
Speaker 1: least most surprising to me, learning new skills during holidays
Speaker 1: had virtually no effect on well being once you're back,
Speaker 1: So maybe skip that intensive cooking class and just enjoy
Speaker 1: a beach walk instead. So, in summary, here's how you
Speaker 1: can make your next holiday really count based on the research.
Speaker 1: Here are three evidence backed ways to maximize your next break. First,
Speaker 1: truly disconnect. That means set that out of office and
Speaker 1: meet it. Second, get physical, prioritize movement over passive relaxation,
Speaker 1: and three mix home and away time, So consider a
Speaker 1: staycation for part of your leave and for people managing teams.
Speaker 1: The researchers emphasize really creating an environment where there are
Speaker 1: no perceived penalty for taking time off because holiday benefits
Speaker 1: can only happen when people actually feel comfortable taking leave.
Speaker 1: So the next time you're planning even a short break,
Speaker 1: remember it's not just about optimizing those precious days away.
Speaker 1: It's about engineering a six week wellbeing runway after your return.
Speaker 1: So think of your holiday as the gift that keeps
Speaker 1: on giving long after you've unpacked your suitcase. The ultimate
Speaker 1: productivity investment isn't a new time management app. It might
Speaker 1: just be that holiday you've been putting off. If you
Speaker 1: like today's show, make sure you hit follow on your
Speaker 1: podcast app to be alerted when new episodes drop. How
Speaker 1: I Work was recorded on the traditional land of the
Speaker 1: Warringery people, part of the Cooler Nation. A big thank
Speaker 1: you to Martin Nimber for doing the sound mix.