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With our lives becoming increasingly complicated with greater increased working hours, financial pressures and time constraints, the good old holiday is become a relic of the past with people opting for a week here and a few days there.

What you really need is a real holiday, where you let the mind and body fully unwind and relax. There are numerous studies that suggest we need at least one to two weeks to start unwinding and relax. This is often called the Relaxation Response, when our mind and body start to let go; the tension is released from our muscles, our heart rate and metabolism start to slow down, the rate of our breathing decreases, our blood pressure lowers and our brain activity levels slow down. So we really need to plan our holiday to maximise the Relaxation Response by reducing stress and anxiety.

Typically we gravitate towards three distinct types of holidays.

1. Work holiday

Work tools  
You promise your family and loved ones that you will only take the laptop, phone/Pda just in case the office needs to contact you, "It's a good chance to sort out my emails and cover any crisis that may eventuate" you say.
Work has really squeezed your time to organise your itinerary or accommodation, everything is rushed and you're packing right up to the time the taxi arrives.

Work performed 
Will only check emails a few times a day and answer important work calls

Relaxation level 
Very low. The first email or call arrives, things start to get crazy at work and your mind is elsewhere, the guilt sets in for not devoting as much time to the family.
You print off stuff to read by the swimming pool to assume a more relaxed deposition.

Work/life Balance score -2/10

2. Psuedo holiday

Work tools  
You've almost gone cold turkey. No Pda or laptop, just the phone as it's handy to have. This is going to be a real holiday so even though it meant running yourself into the ground beforehand, everything has been sorted out at the office to avoid the need to be contacted.

Work performed 
The hotel has the internet or the local internet cafe is close by so you check out the emails. You notice a missed call/sms message on the mobile, you retrieve the message and before you know it, your mind is back at work.

Relaxation level 
Very low, you mind is in work mode and there is the constant expectation that the phone will ring or emails will be received.

Work/life Balance score 1/10

3. The real holiday 

Work tools 
None. Complete cold turkey, no Pda or laptop, or mobile. You have redirection activated on email and mobile messages with people to contact in your absence. No contact details are left at the office.

Work performed 
Zero. 

Relaxation level 
High. Work becomes a distant memory and you may have even planned ahead and allowed a few extra days at home to settle in before you recommence work.
Plenty of lazy days, getting up when the mood takes you, you lose track of the time and days. Lots of R & R.

Work/life balance score 10/10

Molveno, Dolomites Italy July 2009
 

Make it happen

If you have your own business or a job where a team of people is reliant on you, a complete disconnect from work may be difficult and challenging. For some, knowing how to relax and unwind may also be a foreign concept.
 

BUT get that 100% real holiday and in return you will get 100% clarity, motivation, focus, energy and happiness to take on the world.
So will you get more of the work life balance and take a real holiday today?
 

Written by Andrew Talati 
www.fitstyler.com.au