Your mini-guide on how to switch off FULLY on holiday

Fully switching off from work when you go on holiday is becoming harder to do, but more important than ever and so I created a guide to help us do it

Hi there, I’m Selina, a Career and Life Design Coach, author and podcaster. I’ve been helping people design lives and careers they love for almost two decades.

When I’m not writing here on Substack, I’m coaching clients all over the world, from my little green office in South East London. If you’re curious about what my coaching programmes could do for you, you can come and check them out over here

As this post goes live I will be starting out on a two week holiday where I’m going to be FULLY switching off from work.

As I write this, knowing that the switching off is soon to begin, I won’t lie, I feel nervous. I always do before a switch off.

My nervous system is so used to being on the go - whether I’m getting through to-do lists at work, at home, or usually both - that the idea of switching off and not having those to-do lists to provide me with purpose and structure to my day, has me bristling with low-level anxiety.

But I also know that giving myself time in the year where I fully switch off is essential. In fact, every time I do it I’m reminded of just how powerful it is.

And yet every time I get ready to do it I find it hard.

And I know I’m not alone.

Switching off fully on holiday (or any time at all) has become harder and harder to do, but more important than ever that we actually do it.

And so I have created a guide to help us all fully switch off on holiday, whether it’s a staycation for a few days or a holiday for a couple of weeks.

The moment I hit send on this post, I’m going to be diving into it myself…and I cannot wait!

If you use it, will you come back and tell me how you got on with your BIG SWITCH OFF holiday and if this guide helped?

And I’ll see you in a couple of weeks!

x Selina

Your guide to fully switching off on holiday ☀️

Before you go on holiday…

☀️ Let people know you’ll be disappearing

Let people know well in advance that you are going to be hitting the OOO button and will NOT be available on this upcoming holiday. If they need to be able to contact you in case of a real work emergency then let them know how they can do that. Ideally give them the number of someone you’re going to be on holiday with or a number where you are staying if you’re going solo. That creates a good solid boundary that people are unlikely to step over unless it really is a very real emergency.

☀️ Accept that there will be some loose ends that won’t be tied up before you go. ACCEPT IT.

The pre-holiday mad rush is a real thing. It’s one of the reasons so many people arrive at their holiday destination so flipping exhausted. Because they attempted to tie up every loose end in their life before switching on their OOO. People do this in the run up to the Christmas holidays too, feeling the pressure to get EVERYTHING done before the year ends and it has to stop. It’s an impossible task. You will never, I repeat never, get all the loose ends tied up. Not ever. Stop trying. Accept that some things will have to remain undone until you get back from hols. 

☀️ Pack things that will help your brain to switch off from work

If you have a brain that struggles to switch off, then you’re going to need to do things on your unplugged holiday that help to absorb your mind in nourishing ways: getting out in nature, reading a novel, making things with your hands, crosswords, sudoku, puzzles. Have a think about what you need and make sure you pack things that you might not be able to get at your holiday destination.

☀️ Identify what digital switch offs are going to need to happen when you’re away

You don’t want to have work emails or social media notifications popping up on your phone, luring you back into the matrix while you’re on your unplugged holiday, so identify in advance what you’re going to have to switch off or even temporarily delete from your phone while you’re away.

When the time comes, mark the moment your big switch off officially begins

It can be really powerful to mark and celebrate the moment your big switch off begins. What will it be for you? The moment you turn on your OOO, delete the social media apps from your phone or shut your laptop after that final email is sent? And then what will you do to celebrate it? Have a cocktail, start your new novel, or simply shut your laptop, take a deep breath and smile to yourself ‘the switching off has begun’.

Whatever you do, take a moment to celebrate crossing over the threshold into full-time pleasure and relaxation. It’s an important moment.

During your fully switched off holiday

☀️ Give a light structure to your day

If you are used to having a day that is heavily scheduled and structured then having no schedule at all can actually feel very overwhelming. So if you find yourself feeling lost, untethered or overwhelmed by so much freedom, have a go at adding some light structure to your day. For example, an activity after breakfast, an activity after lunch and an activity for the evening. It can be simple things like going for a walk, reading your novel, playing a game. But knowing what your day is going to consist of and having a framework to it can help you to feel grounded and settled, rather than all over the place.

☀️ Give your brain things to chew on

A mind that is used to always being switched on and active won’t know how to rest. You need to help it by giving your mind activities that absorb your attention and help you relax: reading, making things with your hands, physical activity, puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, photography, journaling, cooking, exploring, playing cards or other games. If you don’t know what works for you then this is a great time to experiment.

Switching off fully can feel hard to do at first, particularly if you haven’t done it for a long time. In fact don’t be surprised if at first you feel restless,  anxious, or emotional. This is simply a sign that your nervous system needs a little time to settle down into this new slower gear. 

Trust your body and your brain. They know what to do. They are designed for deep relaxation. All you need to do is keep following the steps above and before you know it you will start to feel your shoulders drop, time expand and those delicious feelings of contentment, peace and rest will start to flow.

And when eventually the holiday comes to an end and you plug back into the world of daily activity and work, come and let me know how you got on and I will celebrate with you. 

Because unplugging in a world that tells us we should always be switched on is a beautiful and powerful thing to do for yourself. And it deserves to be celebrated.

x Selina