(no more) getting sick on holiday.

Does anyone else get sick the minute after they set up their out-of-office email?

I’m about to take a week off and I’m crossing my fingers and toes that it won’t happen again.

For the past few years, I've started my holidays stuck in bed, and I’d love to break this tradition.

After it had happened a few times, I looked for research and found plenty—so I know I’m not the only one struggling with this.

We want to leave as little as possible to hand over (and bother someone else with) and end up overworking ourselves.

Our bodies produce cortisol in response to the increased workload, and its prolonged presence then weakens the immune system.

When we finally slow down and our stress levels drop, we become more susceptible to catching a bug.

Adding to this is the usual change in routine, and maybe a trip involving a crowded plane or train, and voila, a headache—and some fever, and a cough too.

But this time around I’d really love to avoid all of this and be more intentional in how I prepare for my time off.

I’ve been gradually reducing my working hours, which feels counterintuitive before a holiday—but I can already see how the extra breaks are making me more productive overall.

I also plan to maintain my routine during the holidays, keeping up with movement and nourishing meals as if I were still busy working.

Instead of seeing the holidays as my only time to recharge, I’m finding pockets of rest every day, making my workdays more sustainable.

I’ll report back if my experiment works out. I’m pretty confident these tips could have prevented me from getting sick during my corporate days, too.

about the author:

Hi there! I'm Silja, the founder of the wholesome growth club, an inclusive hub for career coaching with a soft spot for introverts and perfectionists. I’m an Amsterdam-based expat, but I love connecting with people worldwide. With a background in recruiting, I know the struggle of crafting a career path that feels truly yours. At the wholesome growth club, we're all about fostering sustainable growth, meaningful engagement, and authentic connections. Our blog is dedicated to making coaching accessible and sharing insights to approach work and life with an extra dose of confidence, slow productivity, and self-compassion. If you are curious to make things happen for yourself, get in touch—we offer personalized coaching journeys that will get you closer to your (dreamy) goals in no time.