Why ignoring emails after work helps mental health

The pressure to follow established cultural norms within an organisation can be strong, even if those norms are dumb and drain productive time or invade our non-work time. (And as Australia seeks to implement a right to disconnect law, it's important to remember that we all have a choice not to follow dumb cultural norms!) And one of the dumbest norms of all is to take a break from work to refresh one’s mental health and spend time with people that you love, only to dread the last two days knowing that you’ll have a thousand emails in your inbox waiting for you. I used to be the same and then I made a decision that changed everything for me. You can do the same. The last thing I wanted to do when I returned to work was to spend hours and hours reading out of date information or negating the purpose of my holiday and allowing overwhelm to immediately return. So I stopped and used the technology to my advantage. I set up a rule to send every message received during my holiday to trash. I freed up time in my first week back for people to bring me up to date - verbally - and by Tuesday I was usually all caught up. As opposed to trawling through my email day and night looking for the important messages. I ensured that people knew of my approach, so that it wasn’t a surprise that I didn’t have their email. I did this by using the text below in my out of office message. This is a cultural norm that everyone can immediately challenge. Name check someone in the comments below who would benefit from this! Copy and paste 👇 ------------- ‘Thanks so much for your email, however I’m currently on leave until xxxx. If you require assistance, please contact xxxx who is covering for me whilst I’m away. Please note that your email will be deleted. This is not because I don’t view its contents as important, but rather that I can do nothing with it, nor do I wish to return from holiday to a thousand emails, thus affecting my productive time for my first month back. Thanks for understanding (also, you should copy this approach!) [Your Name]’ -------------

Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a requirement. The last few days, my wife and I hit the beach, turned everything off, and just disconnected from the hustle, the notifications, the pressure. And let me tell you… it was exactly what we needed. I tell leaders this all the time: you can’t expect long-term performance from a team that’s running on empty. One of the best things you can do for your team? Create a digital sunset. That means no scheduled calls, no emails, no Slack, no “quick question” texts after 5:30 or 6 p.m. unless it’s mission-critical. Even one day a week can make a huge impact. Here’s the science: When you rest, real rest, not scroll-on-your-couch rest, your brain clears out mental clutter. Your cortisol levels drop. Your creativity comes back online. Your decision-making sharpens. Burnout isn’t just a buzzword. It’s real. And it’s killing performance across industries. And I’ve heard it all: “I tell my team they don’t have to read my emails at night.” Cool. But when you were younger, if your boss emailed you at 9 p.m., would you wait ‘til morning? Exactly. You’d open it, think about it, probably start working on it. Intent doesn’t erase impact. Here’s the truth: Real culture isn’t coffee bars and ping pong tables. It’s building a space where people are allowed, no, encouraged, to rest. To unplug. To actually live. Your best ideas won’t come from grinding 80 hours a week. They’ll come after you’ve taken a breath. Rest isn’t lazy. It’s leadership. Would love to hear one thing you’re doing to build a culture that supports people? #LeadershipMatters #WorkCulture #DigitalWellness #RestIsProductive #BurnoutPrevention

We need to make it more acceptable for people to leave work at work. One of my strong opinions is that we need more detachment from work when we're not working. Taking a mental break also allows people to recharge and become more effective workers when they are at work. The best thing I did for my mental health at work was to remove email from my phone a few years ago. Checking it at all hours of the day and night did nothing except stress me out and make me think about the response I would send once I finally returned to the office. Or, I would send a quick response to the sender that was not fully coherent. Let's go back to when people could detach from work when they were "off the clock". There is no reason most workers should be answering their phone or sending emails at 10pm or when they're on vacation. I also used to feel like I had to be on and available, or I would lose all my clients. A couple of years into my business, I responded to emails while on vacation and received a response from a client telling me to quit checking my email and spend time with my family. That was one of the best pieces of advice I received as a new business owner.

If Sunday anxiety is ruining your weekend, your job is slowly killing you. I used to pride myself on being "always available." Checking emails on Sundays? ✓ Done Taking calls during family dinner? ✓ No problem Responding to Slack at midnight? ✓ You bet Then my doctor said something that changed everything: "Your body is giving you warning signs. Ignore them, and you'll face consequences you can't reverse." • 9 out of 10 women report mental health issues due to poor work-life balance. • Chronic work stress leads to: - Cardiovascular problems - Weakened immune system - Sleep disorders - Depression • Poor sleep quality directly decreases job performance and satisfaction. The truth? No job is worth sacrificing your mental health. 3 boundaries I now set (and you should too): 1. No work communications after 6 PM 2. Work Laptop stays in another room on Sundays 3. "No" is a complete sentence when asked to work weekends Since setting these boundaries: - My sleep improved - Anxiety decreased - Monday productivity doubled Your worth isn't measured by your availability. If your job doesn't respect your right to rest, it's not showing dedication to you. Remember: The most successful professionals aren't the ones working 24/7. They're the ones who fiercely protect their recovery time. What's your experience with Sunday anxiety? Share below 👇 follow Himanshu Kumar for more. #WorkLifeBalance #MentalHealth #ProfessionalGrowth #Boundaries

Can we please stop glamorizing burnout? I say this now with full conviction— But the truth is, I used to be that person. Working 24/7. Saying yes to everything. Emails at all hours. No weekends. No boundaries. And my body paid the price—getting sick constantly, burned out, and feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world. I had no life outside of work. And I thought that made me valuable. All I needed to do was listen—to life, and to my body. At The Giving Movement, we move fast. We care deeply. But we’ve also learned that working sustainably is part of working smart. So we made a policy: 🚫 No calls or messages to colleagues after working hours—unless there’s a fire (a real one!). 📩 All Slacks and emails should be scheduled to send during working hours. Honestly? Best policy ever. Because rest isn’t a luxury. It’s maintenance. Somewhere along the way, “busy” became a status symbol. But burnout doesn’t make you better. It just makes you tired and chronically ill. And no title, no paycheck, no amount of recognition is worth your health. You can be driven and still rest. You can care deeply and still set boundaries. You can be ambitious without burning out. Success, for me now? It’s doing work I’m proud of and still having energy left for the people I love. What about you? #TheGivingMovement #Burnout #PeopleAndCulture #WorkCulture #Boundaries #MentalHealth #LeadershipWithHeart

A few weeks ago, I did something I haven't done in far too long—I took a genuine sick day. Not a half-day, not a "check emails every hour" day, but a complete step back to recharge. This past summer has had its challenges, both personally and professionally, and has been marked by some moments of feeling on the edge of burnout. The cumulative effect of in a demanding industry (many would say, “PR never sleeps”), coupled with personal life demands like having a baby whose every tooth seems to be popping out at the exact same time, felt overwhelming and exhausting. It’s a reminder that sometimes, leadership means recognizing when you’re running on empty. The realization hit hard. Despite the joy and chaos of raising a spirited toddler, that paired with the fast pace at work, began to take its toll. I found myself drafting proposals late into the night and waking up to the same “Groundhog Day” cycle. It wasn’t sustainable, and frankly, I was not okay. Admitting this wasn’t easy—I pride myself on resilience and commitment. However, I’ve started to learn that acknowledging limits, especially in this new mom phase of my life, is a crucial leadership skill. I realized that I need to prioritize my well-being to lead effectively. For me, that means turning off email and phone notifications when I am off from work and truly being present in the moment with my family and myself. As leaders, we often push ourselves to the brink, forgetting that to steer our teams effectively, we must first take care of ourselves. The culture of constant availability can suffocate, turning even the most passionate professionals into burnt-out shells. So, to my fellow leaders feeling the weight of their responsibilities: you’re allowed to take a step back. In fact, it’s necessary to do so. As leaders, our actions speak volumes. By taking time for ourselves, we signal to our teams that it’s not just okay to prioritize personal well-being—it’s essential. So, as we head into the busy season, let’s remember to check in with ourselves as diligently as we do with our teams. How do you ensure you maintain balance and prevent burnout? I’d love to hear your strategies in the comments below. #Leadership #Burnout #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #WorkplaceCulture