You’ve been counting down the days for months. The suitcase is packed, the "out of office" reply is drafted, and the flight is booked. But then it happens. You sit down on that beach chair, look at the ocean, and instead of feeling relaxed, your brain starts racing through your unread emails. It’s a weirdly common phenomenon. Most people think saying i am on vacation is a simple status update, but psychologically, it's a massive physiological shift that most of us are remarkably bad at handling.
We live in a culture that treats rest like a reward you have to earn rather than a basic biological requirement. Honestly, it’s exhausting.
When you finally utter the words i am on vacation, your body doesn't just instantly drop its cortisol levels. It takes time. Researchers often refer to this as "leisure sickness," a term popularized by Ad Vingerhoets, a psychologist at Tilburg University. He found that many people actually get sick the moment they stop working because their immune system, which was being propped up by stress hormones, finally lets its guard down. It's not just in your head. It’s a physical reaction to the sudden absence of high-pressure demands.
Why the phrase i am on vacation feels like a lie
For many of us, the transition is jarring. You go from 100 to 0 in a matter of hours. This creates a "recovery paradox." The people who need the most rest are often the ones who find it the most stressful to actually stop. You feel guilty. You feel like you're falling behind. You might even feel a bit of an identity crisis because, without your To-Do list, who even are you?
I’ve seen this happen a thousand times. A friend goes to Tuscany, spends the first three days checking Slack, and then spends the last two days mourning the fact that they didn't relax.
💡 You might also like: Finding the most affordable way to live when everything feels too expensive
The dopamine trap of "checking in"
Digital connectivity has ruined the sanctity of the break. When you tell your boss i am on vacation, there’s often an unspoken "but I’m reachable if it’s an emergency" attached to it. That’s a trap. A study from Virginia Tech found that the mere expectation of being available for work emails after hours leads to significant anxiety, not just for the employee, but for their family too.
Basically, if your phone is in your pocket, you aren't really away. You’re just working from a prettier location.
The neurobiology is pretty clear here. Every time you check a notification, you get a tiny hit of dopamine. It feels productive. But it prevents your brain from entering the "Default Mode Network" (DMN). The DMN is what kicks in when you’re daydreaming or just "being." It’s where creativity lives. If you never let yourself get bored because you're busy proving i am on vacation via Instagram stories, you never actually recharge.
Real world impacts of skipping the break
Let's look at the numbers because they’re actually kind of terrifying. The Framingham Heart Study—a massive, long-term project—found a direct correlation between vacation frequency and heart health. Men who didn’t take a vacation for several years were 30% more likely to have a heart attack. For women, the stats were even more stark; those who vacationed only once every six years were eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared to those who took two breaks a year.
📖 Related: Executive desk with drawers: Why your home office setup is probably failing you
It’s not just about "vibes." It’s about survival.
The "staycation" myth
Sometimes we try to cheat. We stay home and tell people i am on vacation while we finally tackle the pile of laundry or paint the guest room. That’s not a vacation. That’s just unpaid labor. To get the cognitive benefits of a break, you need a change of scenery. Environmental psychologists suggest that "Awe"—that feeling you get when looking at a mountain range or a vast desert—actually shrinks your ego and lowers inflammation markers in the body. You can't get that from your living room while staring at the TV.
How to actually be "away"
So, how do you fix this? It starts before you even leave. You have to set boundaries that feel almost uncomfortably firm.
- The "Dead Zone" Handover: Don't just leave a list of tasks. Designate a "point person" and give them the authority to make decisions. If they have to call you, you’ve failed at delegating.
- Delete the Apps: Seriously. If you have Outlook or Slack on your phone, delete them. You can reinstall them on the plane ride back. If they are there, you will click them. It’s muscle memory.
- The 48-Hour Buffer: Most people need two full days to stop vibrating with work anxiety. Don't plan big activities for day one. Just sit.
- Analog Entertainment: Bring a physical book. Use a real camera. The more you can keep your hand off your smartphone, the faster your brain recalibrates to the present moment.
Honestly, the hardest part of saying i am on vacation is believing you deserve it. We’ve been conditioned to think of ourselves as machines. But machines break down without maintenance. You aren't a laptop; you don't just need to be plugged in. You need to be unplugged.
👉 See also: Monroe Central High School Ohio: What Local Families Actually Need to Know
The weird psychology of the "End-Peak" rule
Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman talked about the "Peak-End Rule." We don't remember our experiences as a mathematical average of every moment. Instead, we remember the most intense part (the peak) and the very end.
This is why the last day of your trip is actually the most important for your long-term happiness. If you spend the last day of your trip stressed about the flight or checking your Monday morning calendar, you will remember the whole trip as stressful. If you want the "i am on vacation" feeling to last, you have to protect the ending. Treat that last dinner like it’s the most important one.
Actionable steps for your next exit
- Audit your "emergency" criteria. Write down exactly what constitutes a reason to contact you. Usually, it's "the building is on fire." Everything else can wait.
- Schedule a "re-entry" day. Don't go back to work the morning after you land. Give yourself one day at home to do nothing but buy groceries and decompress. This prevents the "vacation fade" where the benefits disappear within 24 hours.
- Practice saying "I am on vacation" out loud. It sounds silly, but acknowledging the state change helps your brain flip the switch from "active" to "restorative."
- Focus on sensory inputs. When you feel work stress creeping in, find three things you can smell, two things you can hear, and one thing you can feel. It grounds you in the "now" and kicks you out of the "work-future."
The world will not stop turning because you took seven days off. Your projects will still be there. Your emails will still be unread. But you? You'll be a version of yourself that actually has the energy to handle them. Stop treating your life like a marathon you have to sprint. Take the break. Mean it. Actually be the person who can say i am on vacation and feel the weight lift off their shoulders.