Last updated November 2, 2026
Snapshot
- Disconnecting from work on vacation means stepping away from email and work worries so a wellness getaway can actually recharge you.
- Research on longer vacations found that health and well-being peaked around the eighth day, so protecting that first week of downtime pays off.
- Finishing key assignments before you leave quiets the mental to-do list, and giving colleagues and clients advance notice keeps your inbox calm.
- Every quick peek at your phone or social feed draws you back toward the office, so resist the urge to check in.
- Time outdoors and time with like-minded travelers both make it easier to stay present and leave work FOMO behind.
Who doesn’t dream of the day you can actually disconnect from work and enjoy a wellness vacation? When work burnout and family pressures start piling up, a few days away can do more good than another weekend on the couch.
But what happens if you can’t disconnect from work and enjoy your wellness vacation? Research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that well-being peaked around the eighth day of vacation.
A wellness vacation is the perfect antidote for healing and learning to stay in the present moment—replenishing your energy so that you return to work with your head in the game.
Seven to eight days seems relentless. Yet when you set the foundation beforehand, you “can” switch off and protect the time you set aside for a wellness vacation.
Disconnect From Work Using These Five Tips
If you’re having trouble keeping your mind off of work, we’ve got you covered. Apply these five strategies to disconnect from work so that you can actually enjoy your wellness vacation.
1. Complete All Work Assignments
It’s a no-brainer that if you have unfinished assignments at work, your mind won’t let you relax. That nagging voice will keep reminding you about the work waiting. Do your best to clear your work schedule. This will help keep your mind off work-related issues and remove the pressure you may be feeling.
2. Notify Your Colleagues
You’re fresh from a massage and stretched out by the pool when your phone lights up with a stack of work emails. You peek at your phone and see loads of work-related emails.
At first, you decide not to open them. Then you check if it’s urgent. Before you know it, you’re answering emails and making phone calls when you should be pampering yourself.
To keep that from happening:
- Share your vacation dates well in advance
- Let your manager and colleagues know, and ask them to respect your time away
- Give clients a heads-up and a backup contact
- Write a friendly out-of-office message with your return date
When you set boundaries in advance, colleagues and clients are more willing to respect your free time and leave you be. Fewer emails and calls mean fewer reasons to think about the office.
3. Stop Checking In
If you want colleagues and clients to let you enjoy your vacation, don’t give them a reason to reach out. You don’t need a full digital detox, but try to stay in the moment and leave your work version at home. Every check-in comes with a cost:
- Extra time staring at your phone
- A growing pile of messages to answer
- Office updates you didn’t need
- Less attention on the trip you planned
Use this time to disconnect from work and enjoy your wellness vacation. Try the activities your 9-to-5 never leaves room for.
4. Embrace Nature
According to Yale Environment, nature benefits us in many ways and is a “have-to-have for physical health and cognitive function.” The more time you spend outdoors hiking, cycling, surfing or rafting, the less likely you’ll have work FOMO. You know, that feeling like you need to know what’s happening at work and what your colleagues are doing without you.
Even a short walk under the trees can calm a racing mind. Try to appreciate “being” in the moment. Watch the tide roll in or watch a waterfall cascade down a cliff. Find a soothing rhythm and let your mind release.
5. Get Social
Good company is one of the easiest ways to stop thinking about work. Join a group hike or linger over a communal dinner at your retreat. Conversations with like-minded travelers drift toward new ideas and shared stories, and the inbox back home starts to feel far away.
Out of Office, In the Moment
Is it OK to check work email on vacation?
Ideally, leave it alone. If your role makes total silence unrealistic, pick one short window every few days to scan for true emergencies, then put the phone away.
What should an out-of-office message say?
Keep it short. Include your return date and a colleague to contact for anything urgent, and skip promising to check messages along the way.
