🌴How Holidays Boost Mental Health (and What They Can’t Do)🌴
In our fast-paced, always-on world, the idea of taking a holiday is often sold as a magical cure-all. Stressed? Burned out? Anxious? Book a flight, unplug, sip cocktails by the beach, and come back a new person, or so the story goes.
But while holidays can offer real, measurable benefits to mental health, they are not a long-term solution to deeper psychological challenges like chronic burnout, anxiety, or depression.
Let’s unpack what holidays can and can’t do for our well-being, and how we can make the most of them while also prioritizing lasting mental health strategies.
The Benefits of Taking a Break
There is no denying the positive impact a well-planned holiday can have on our mental health. Several studies confirm that vacations can improve mood, reduce stress, and even enhance creativity.
A study conducted by the Institute of Psychology at the University of Bern, Switzerland (2003), looked at how job stress can impact our ability to truly switch off and relax during a holiday. The findings were clear: time off does help us recover, but only if we manage to mentally step away from work. That psychological distance plays a big role in better sleep, lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), and feeling more satisfied with life overall.
When it comes to rest, not all downtime is equal. A study titled Holiday Travel, Staycations, and Subjective Well-Being, published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism in 2016, looked at how different types of rest affect our ability to recover. It compared things like quiet evenings at home, weekends off, and travel holidays.
The results were clear. Travel holidays had the most positive impact. People who experienced something new and spent less time on screens saw the biggest boost in hedonic well-being. That means they felt more joy, pleasure, and emotional lift from life in general. These holidays also helped reduce rumination, which is the tendency to overthink or dwell on things.
In short, holidays can serve as a much-needed reset. They can help us step back, recharge, and gain perspective, especially when we are feeling overwhelmed by daily routines.
Healthy Holiday Habits That Support Mental Health
If you're planning a holiday to boost your well-being, consider these evidence-based strategies:
Unplug Fully: A holiday isn't truly restorative if you're checking emails by the pool. Set boundaries before you leave, use out-of-office replies, and avoid work-related communication.
Engage in Joyful Movement: Light physical activity such as walking, swimming, or hiking can enhance mood and reduce stress without feeling like a chore.
Prioritize Sleep: Catching up on rest is essential. Avoid overscheduling activities that cut into downtime.
Mindful Experiences: Choose locations or activities that engage your senses and require you to be present—this could be anything from cooking a local dish to exploring nature.
Travel with Intention: Whether it’s reconnecting with family or exploring a new culture, having a purpose behind your trip can make it more fulfilling.
Plan for the Return: Post-holiday blues are real. Make your transition back to daily life smoother by blocking out time to catch up slowly, rather than jumping straight into a packed calendar.
These approaches not only improve the holiday experience but also maximize its positive effects on your mental health.
Holidays Are Not a Cure for Burnout
Despite these benefits, it's critical to recognize the limits of what a vacation can achieve. According to HR Dive (2021), 89% of surveyed employees felt that vacations did not alleviate their burnout. Why? Because burnout is not simply about being tired; it’s a complex response to chronic stress, systemic overwork, lack of autonomy, and emotional exhaustion.
The Executive Forum emphasized that employees often return from vacation only to find an overflowing inbox and heightened pressure to “catch up,” negating any relaxation they experienced. In many cases, this creates a cycle where people work harder before and after their break, making holidays feel like temporary relief at best.
In some organizational cultures, employees even feel guilty for taking time off, staying semi-available during their holiday, or fearing repercussions when they return. In these environments, even vacations can become another source of stress.
The Illusion of a Quick Fix
The idea that a holiday can "cure" anxiety or depression is similarly flawed. While time away might offer momentary relief, mental health conditions are complex and require sustained, professional care. A blog post from SHL (2023) coined the term “leisure sickness”—the phenomenon of people actually feeling worse during vacation due to built-up stress, sleep deprivation, and sudden routine changes.
In fact, what people truly need is not a once-a-year escape but consistent micro-breaks and workplace cultures that prioritize mental health year-round. Small daily habits like taking short walks, having supportive check-ins with managers, and maintaining manageable workloads can do more to prevent burnout than a single annual holiday ever could.
What Really Works for Long-Term Mental Health
So, if holidays aren't the ultimate fix, what can we do?
Therapeutic Support: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), counseling, or coaching can help individuals manage chronic stress, anxiety, and depression more effectively than any external getaway.
Workplace Reform: Organizations must take responsibility for fostering psychologically safe environments. This includes offering flexible schedules, mental health days, and supportive leadership.
Daily Recovery Practices: Regular sleep, nutritious food, movement, creative hobbies, and connection with others can create a lifestyle where burnout is less likely to take root.
Clear Boundaries: Employees should be empowered to set limits around their availability, both during work hours and while on vacation.
Normalize Mental Health Conversations: Reducing stigma and making it easier for people to seek help is crucial. Vacations may give people space to reflect, but they should be followed by actionable steps.
Conclusion: Reset, Don’t Rely
Taking a holiday is like pressing a reset button, a way to refresh your body and mind, spark creativity, and gain a broader perspective. But we must stop expecting holidays to solve deeply embedded mental health issues or compensate for toxic workplace dynamics. A vacation can be the beginning of change, but it must be supported by intentional practices and systemic shifts.
So by all means, take the holiday. Bask in the sun, hike through mountains, get lost in a foreign city. But when you return, bring with you a renewed commitment to your everyday mental well-being, because true recovery doesn't come from escape, but from sustainable, supportive living.
“Sometimes, a small step is all it takes to begin feeling more like yourself again”
Hi! I’m Elia Giménez, a psychologist and therapist with over 15 years’ experience supporting people through anxiety, depression, trauma, and burnout. I offer down-to-earth, evidence-based therapy online to help you feel calmer, clearer, and more like yourself again.
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