I am someone who often enjoys working during the holidays. Fewer emails, reduced external demands, and a slower pace can feel mentally restorative. However, this experience is not universal. In healthcare settings, for example, fairness and rota policies often mean that the same individual cannot take Christmas leave every year in order to maintain adequate staffing levels. For others, particularly those with family abroad, holidays can involve expensive flights, long travel times, and complex logistical planning. Managing limited annual leave, disrupted routines, and social obligations can mean that the anticipated rest associated with holidays instead becomes another source of pressure.

The difficulty often becomes more apparent in January. On returning to work, individuals are frequently met with full calendars, large volumes of unread emails, and immediate performance demands, while their cognitive and emotional systems are still adjusting. Many people describe feeling unusually slow, unfocused, or overwhelmed during this period. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as post holiday stress or post holiday blues and is not merely a subjective experience. Research indicates that the interruption of work routines and the subsequent return to high demand environments place a measurable strain on cognitive and emotional resources (Sonnentag et al., 2017).

Psychological and occupational health research consistently demonstrates that vacations are associated with short term improvements in well-being. A systematic review by de Bloom et al. (2009) found that vacation periods........

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