Monday IINspiration – Slow Down to Speed Up… and Let Holidays Be Holidays

We’re entering that time of year again — the sacred holiday season. A time that’s supposed to be about rest, freedom, and joy.

And yet, how many of us find ourselves stressed out trying to relax, putting pressure on ourselves to “make the most” of every moment, and returning to work more tired than when we left?

This is the paradox of modern leadership — and contemporary life.We work hard, we play hard, and we forget to breathe in between.

We press pause only during holidays, hoping they’ll somehow magically reset the stress, pressure, and intensity we carry the rest of the year. We expect it to take one or two weeks to fix what the last six months have cost us — physically, mentally, and emotionally. But it doesn’t work that way.

A 2023 study by Allianz Partners found that 45% of Europeans return from vacation feeling more stressed than they did before they left. In Belgium and France, over 60% say they struggle to disconnect mentally during vacation. And globally, 70% of professionals admit to checking work emails while away, making real recovery nearly impossible.

So we return depleted, frustrated, or anxious, and we start the cycle again. The issue is not the holiday. The issue is the system we’ve built around it — one that only allows rest after we’ve earned it, or once we’ve pushed ourselves past our limits.

But neuroscience — and experience — tell us something different. The American Psychological Association and performance researchers agree: regular, short, intentional pauses during the workweek reduce cognitive fatigue and support focus far more effectively than waiting for one big break. Slowing down, regularly and consciously, is not a luxury. It’s a leadership strategy.

And leadership is not just about others — it starts with how we lead ourselves.

A client I worked with recently brought this into sharp focus. She told me:

“I hate the holiday period. Everyone expects me to be happy and relaxed, but I feel trapped. The work won’t stop. I know I’ll return to a mountain of tasks. And yet I keep planning the same holiday every year, with the same people, because my family loves it. I don’t. I feel like I’m disappearing.”

For years, she repeated the same summer pattern. She smiled for the photos, but inside, she was dreaming of something else: peace, solitude, breathing space. But she never voiced it — because of guilt, obligation, fear of disrupting others’ joy.

It took real work — and real courage — for her to name what she wanted. And even more to make a different choice. But this year, she did.

She planned a summer that actually reflects her rhythm. Her desires. Her rest.

“It’s the first time I’m looking forward to summer,” she said.“And I don’t feel guilty. I feel free.”

This is what “slowing down to speed up” really means.

And while we’re here, can we also talk about the other pressure that creeps in around this time?

The “summer body” pressure.

The idea that we should spend months trying to shrink, tighten, or shape our bodies — all to feel “good enough” for 10 days of vacation.What if we stopped aiming for a summer body and started aiming for a healthy, supported, respected body all year long?

A body that gets real nourishment.A body that moves for joy and strength, not punishment.A body that gets rest when it’s tired.

We don’t need more pressure. We need more peace. We don’t need another unrealistic goal. We need a sustainable rhythm.

This week’s IINvitation:

If you’re feeling the pressure to “make the most” of your holiday — or your body — here’s a gentle reminder:

🌿 You don’t need to perform your vacation.🌿 You don’t need to earn your rest.

🌿 You don’t need to reshape yourself to be seen.

Instead, ask yourself:

• What would a real break look like for me — not for my family, not for Instagram, not for my company?

• Where am I overgiving or overcompensating — even in moments meant for rest?

• What’s one habit I can pause — or question — this summer?

• And what kind of work-life rhythm do I want to build, so that peace doesn’t only exist once a year?

  
  

Let your holidays be holidays.

Let your nervous system breathe.

Let your energy — and your body — be sacred.

Because slowing down isn’t a weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s leadership.

With warmth and inspiration,

Laura