This "vacation deprivation" can negatively affect your physical and mental health. One of the most significant negative impacts of vacation deprivation is increased stress. Without time off to rest and recharge, chronic stress can build up and lead to burnout, which is characterized by physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and decreased productivity. Burnout can lead to serious health issues, including depression, anxiety, and a higher risk of heart disease.

In her book, "The Burnout Epidemic," Jennifer exposes the limitations of traditional wellness initiatives and offers strategies for organizations to break the cycle of chronic stress. She also discusses how leaders can measure burnout levels in their organizations and cultivate a culture that prioritizes resilience and curiosity.

Company leaders need to get ahead of burnout for myriad reasons, experts say. One reason is that ignoring this pervasive and rapidly evolving problem has too many financial and human costs. But the main reason is that there are substantial benefits to a healthy, happy and high-performing workforce—one that is flourishing, not just surviving.

The reason we're struggling like this, according to Dr. Lily Brown, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, maybe because our fight or flight is in overdrive lately. When our limbic system is consistently triggered by stressful information or events it overrides the executive functioning part of our brain, which is where rational and clear decision-making occurs. The more that override happens, the more we struggle to focus, motivate, think clearly, or control impulses.

And smiling is good for us. A study, published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, American psychologists analyzed nearly 50 years of data from more than 100 studies that each tried to determine whether facial expressions can affect people's moods. The studies, which included more than 11,000 people worldwide, concluded that smiling does makes people feel happier, while scowling makes them feel angrier, and frowning makes them feel sadder.

For anyone who has been hard hit financially by COVID-19, my suggestion to take a vacation may seem tone-deaf. But hear me out. First, we tend to think of taking a vacation as attached to travel, but they actually hold two distinct meanings. Taking a vacation really just means to take a break – something we all desperately need after so many months of stress. It doesn't need to cost anything if you take a staycation – basically a stay-at-home vacation.

As employers push to get everyone back together in a physical office, employees are becoming increasingly anxious. Most wonder, what does a "new normal" actually look like? For companies attempting to put the toothpaste back in the tube, they're in for a rude awakening as employees are making their feelings known by jumping ship to companies that embrace workplace flexibility.

According to Jennifer Moss in her recent HBR article “Beyond Burned Out,” today’s level of burnout is the result of an existing problem made exponentially worse. But by knowing the organizational signals of stress, we can course correct for the future.

Research studies have shown that our brains crave certainty, something we are lacking right now, and some experts say this is the hardest part of coping with the pandemic. Our brains don't like uncertainty. It's like a type of pain, something we want to avoid. Certainty, on the other hand, feels rewarding, and we tend to steer toward it. It's all about the burst of dopamine we get when a circuit is completed. It makes us feel better.