Holidays...

During the holidays, the world seems to slow down a little. Emails bounce back with messages like “I’m out of office until...” or “Just returned from vacation, catching up — replies might take a bit longer.”

Everyone’s been on holiday, everyone’s “rested”... but are we, really?

Can a week (or two, or three) truly offset the stress that builds up throughout the year? Do those weeks off actually prepare us to dive back into the rat race — or do we quietly promise ourselves that next time, we’ll do things differently?

Sometimes it feels like we were never away at all, just a few days back behind our screens.Why does it feel that way?

I still remember how, in my consulting years, I’d come back from two weeks of sun, books, and long evenings on a terrace.Then, the first morning back at the office, I’d open my laptop — and within an hour, that vacation already felt like a distant dream. My to-do list had multiplied, my calendar was overflowing again, and my shoulders were right back in their tense, familiar position above the keyboard.“

Didn’t I just go away to let go of all this?” I wondered.

It made me think: Can one week — or even three — really undo a whole year’s worth of stress and tension? Or do we use holidays as an emergency brake — a quick reset — before jumping straight back into the same cycle?

Maybe that’s why so many people, just weeks after summer, already say:“It feels like I never left.”

Because vacation isn’t a magical cure. Rest isn’t a battery you can fully recharge once a year. It takes more than that.

True rest lives in the small moments we allow ourselves — right in the middle of our busy days.

A short walk after lunch.

A few deep breaths before your next meeting.

Putting your phone away during dinner.

It’s those tiny pauses that keep your mind and heart from running in constant overdrive.

But how do you actually do that?

It starts small — micro-pauses. Making one conscious choice. Saying no when something drains you. These can be simple, powerful ways to bring calm into your week.

You can even schedule them — literally. Set reminders in your calendar or use a free app like Pomofocus. When the reminder pops up, stand up, drink some water, or simply do nothing for five minutes. And remember: every time you say no to something that depletes you, you’re saying yes to more space and peace within yourself.

So maybe the real question isn’t:

“How many weeks of vacation do I need to feel recharged?”

But rather:

“How can I weave rest and recovery into my everyday life, so I don’t have to wait for summer to find myself again?”

And who knows — maybe then, vacation won’t feel like a lifeline anymore…

...but simply a beautiful bonus on top of a life that already feels more balanced.

“True rest doesn’t begin on vacation, but in the small moments you allow yourself — between two breaths.”