{"id":471,"date":"2021-02-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=471"},"modified":"2022-05-16T10:00:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T17:00:49","slug":"dont-be-a-martyr-at-work-its-not-a-good-look-4-steps-to-take-time-off-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/dont-be-a-martyr-at-work-its-not-a-good-look-4-steps-to-take-time-off-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t be a martyr at work, it\u2019s not a good look: 4 steps to take time off. Now."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Edited and updated May, 2022<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020 didn\u2019t just change the\u00a0way<\/em>\u00a0we work\u2014it changed the way we didn\u2019t\u00a0stop<\/em>\u00a0working, too. No commutes meant more computer time. Travel bans pushed vacation hours to the max with no chance of cashing in. Now, two years later, with many of us back to working in offices, there’s an even greater need to take time off to reset and relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there are the feelings of fear and guilt. \u201cSo many have lost jobs that there’s increased pressure to show up fully and be highly productive,\u201d says Dr. Sara Gottfried, a Harvard-educated, board-certified MD and author of three New York Times bestselling books. \u201cThis is on top of a baseline of overwork for many of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To maintain whole body well-being though, Dr. Gottfried notes that this is even more reason to take time off, no excuses. Work will absolutely go on without you, and to think otherwise can turn into an ego play. Here, Dr. Gottfried outlines how to stop being a work martyr and take care of yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n

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01<\/div>\n
Recognize you are burnt out<\/div>\n

Burnout can manifest in cynicism, emotional distancing, a shorter fuse and feeling like you\u2019re giving 100% but getting nothing in return. In short, just not caring like you used to. \u201cRelentless workplace stress erodes health and identity until you\u2019re a shell of who you once were,\u201d says Dr. Gottfried, who also serves as Director of Precision Medicine at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, Thomas Jefferson University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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02<\/div>\n
Surrender your martyr status<\/div>\n

The lockdown meant more time logged on and increased around-the-clock accessibility. This fed our self-worth and soothed feelings of powerlessness over job security. But it also poured accelerant on anxiety levels\u2014and created a downstream of consequences for co-workers who might end up feeling like they always need to be ready to perform. Work martyrs are at high risk for burnout, not to mention resentment from co-workers. If you\u2019re struggling to take a day off, remember that burnout usually makes you less effective. Plus, most workplaces have levels of leadership or coverage teams in place, so someone can always be your backup. Taking time off is a proactive way to boost performance for more creative thinking and efficiency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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03<\/div>\n
Reframe time off as a necessity, not an indulgence<\/div>\n

Easier said than done, but it\u2019s an essential step. Time off should take on new meaning in our lexicon\u2014one that\u2019s less about destinations and more about recovery downtime. \u201cThis requires looking at your fears and understanding that you cannot give from an empty vessel,\u201d Dr. Gottfried says. \u201cIt’s like an elite athlete who doesn’t take time to recover and the result is increased injury and inflammation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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04<\/div>\n
Think long-term relief\u2014in short-term spurts<\/div>\n

\u201cI tell my patients a staycation, even short ones, helps fill the tank at a time when most of us are depleted,\u201d Dr. Gottfried says. While a succession of days off, maybe weeks at a time, was once protocol, today recovery and renewal may have greater rewards when spaced out. Try taking off a Friday off one month, then a Monday the following month, to make a 5-day work week more digestible. And if time off starts turning into days to get chores done, put parameters in place. Write down what you\u2019d do if you were on a destination vacation\u2014chances are you\u2019d go to the beach or read a book,\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0do the laundry, finish the dishes or check emails.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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About the author: Jacki Marzano is SoCal-based storyteller and head copywriter at Murad Skincare. She’s shaped the voice of some of the most recognized beauty brands in the business, has a penchant for sharing homemade cookies, and believes SPF is the secret to getting carded well into your 40s.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edited and updated May, 2022. 2020 didn\u2019t just change the\u00a0way\u00a0we work\u2014it changed the way we didn\u2019t\u00a0stop\u00a0working, too. No commutes meant more computer time. Travel bans pushed vacation hours to the max with no chance of cashing in. Now, two years later, with many of us back to working in offices, there’s an even greater need […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mind"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1652720450:17"],"_edit_last":["17"],"_thumbnail_id":["445"],"primary_category":["2"],"_primary_category":["field_608c33bdd26d5"],"show_featured_image":["1"],"_show_featured_image":["field_609ee1cf1ce13"],"post_views_count":["2307"],"adobe_analytics_repeatable":["a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:\"name\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"value\";s:0:\"\";}}"],"mobile_image":[""],"_mobile_image":["field_60bf7692abe28"],"_post_views_count":["field_6107dfafd6a27"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["2"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["90"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["1"]},"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"primary_category":{"term_id":2,"name":"Mind","slug":"mind","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":76,"filter":"raw"},"show_featured_image":true,"post_views_count":"2307","mobile_image":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4314,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions\/4314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}