Stress after work: how to arrive calmly on vacation
You have counted down the days. The out-of-office reply is on, the bags are packed, and then, on the first day of your vacation, your throat starts to scratch. Many people know this pattern. The body seems to wait until it is finally allowed to rest, and then it gives in. Stress after work, and especially the stress of the last days before a break, can follow you right into your vacation.
For most people, the result is a cold. For people with heart disease or several risk factors, the stakes can be higher. Charly Bachmann, HypnoCardio® specialist and certified cardiac therapist SAKR, a Swiss qualification, explains what is behind it and what you can do. He has worked exclusively with heart patients for around 20 years, in his own company and at Winterthur Cantonal Hospital.
When the body waits for the break
It happens again and again. You are looking forward to your time off, and shortly before it starts, you notice a cold or even the flu coming on. You suddenly feel unwell, get a headache, your throat gets scratchy and your nose runs. Some researchers call this pattern leisure sickness.
The point is not that vacations make you ill. It is that the stretch before them asks a lot of you, and the body presents the bill when the pressure drops. For heart patients, this stretch deserves particular attention.
Stress after work: the last days before you leave
For heart patients, an increased stress load before the start of a vacation is a suspected reason why problems appear right at that time. Charly Bachmann describes what those days look like for many people.
Everything has to be finished. Nothing can be left undone. Someone has to cover for you, projects have to be handed over, and there is always one more urgent thing that cannot wait. Then the vacation finally begins, and the rush continues: pack quickly, think of everything, forget nothing. Then the traffic, the airport, the delays, until you finally arrive.
So the danger is not the vacation itself. It is the last few stressful days before you really get to take time out.
Who is at higher risk
This does not mean that everyone risks a heart attack at the start of a vacation. And it is not only stressed managers who are affected. The people at risk are those who already have several risk factors for a heart attack or cardiovascular disease.
Common risk factors include smoking, ongoing psychosocial stress, excess weight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, too little exercise, diabetes and a family history of heart disease. If several of these apply to you, have a checkup and talk to your doctor about how to manage them, before your next trip and in general.
Know the warning signs. Chest pain or pressure, pain that spreads to the arm, jaw, neck or back, shortness of breath, cold sweat or nausea can signal a heart attack, also on vacation. Call emergency services right away. Before you travel, find out how to reach them at your destination.
How to wind down before you leave
The good news is that the last days before a vacation can be planned. A few changes make a difference.
Plan the handover early, and treat the day before your last working day as your real deadline. Use the last day as a buffer. Pack a day or two before you leave, not the night before. Plan a quiet first day at your destination instead of a full program. And start to relax before the vacation begins, not only after you arrive.
Hypnosis for relaxation and self-hypnosis
This is where hypnosis comes in. Hypnosis for relaxation helps your body and mind shift out of alarm mode. In hypnosis, the critical, busy part of the mind steps back, and many people find it easier to let go than when they try to relax by effort alone.
Self-hypnosis is especially practical here, because you can use it anywhere: in the evening after a long workday, on the train or at the gate. Ten minutes with your eyes closed, a slow breath and a few clear suggestions can make the step from work mode to vacation mode easier. If you want to try it, our guide to self-hypnosis shows you how to start.
Hypnotherapy and heart health
According to Charly Bachmann, hypnotherapy can help with several of the risk factors. It can support people who want to stop smoking or lose excess weight, and it can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Hypnotherapy can also support people who have already had a heart attack. Many of them struggle with anxiety or low mood after such a drastic, life-threatening event. Hypnosis can be part of the help they get, together with their cardiologist, cardiac rehabilitation and, where needed, psychological support.
It is always a complement. Medication, checkups and the advice of your cardiologist come first. Hypnosis helps with the part that no prescription covers: how you deal with pressure, habits and worry.
Enjoy the break you earned
A vacation should give you energy, not cost you energy. If you want to arrive rested, start your recovery before you leave, and make relaxation a skill you practice, not a reward you wait for. With a little planning and a few minutes of self-hypnosis a day, stress after work does not have to be the first thing you unpack.
Your next step: register for Try before you buy, ten free lessons from Module 1. They include a self-hypnosis lesson with an audio, so you can start practicing how to wind down right away.
