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Most of us wear unused leave like a badge of honour. Haven’t taken your holidays? You must be indispensable. But a Mumbai-based orthopaedic surgeon challenges this thinking, warning that every leave you skip pushes you closer to burnout.
In a recent social media post that struck a chord with thousands of professionals, Dr Manan Vora urged employees to use every single office leave they are entitled to in 2026. Not as a luxury. Not as a reward. But as basic health maintenance.
Is not taking leave bad for your mental health?
According to Dr Vora, most Indian companies already offer the bare minimum leave needed to protect mental health. When you skip even that, you are not proving commitment, you are slowly draining your psychological reserves.
Mental fatigue often creeps in as irritability, poor focus, emotional numbness, or the constant feeling of being “tired but wired”. Taking leave, Dr Vora argues, is not about escaping work, it is about preventing mental exhaustion before it turns into something harder to fix.
He emphasises that chronic stress from never switching off can show up as insomnia, persistent fatigue, headaches, gut issues, or unexplained aches.
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Dr Vora points out that when rest is postponed indefinitely, the body eventually forces a shutdown. The irony is that people who never take leave often end up needing much longer time off later due to stress-related illness. Refusing breaks now can cost far more downtime in the future.
Does your brain actually work better after time off?
According to Dr Vora, proper rest can boost creativity by as much as 40 per cent, strengthen immune resilience, and improve long-term health outcomes.
The brain is not designed for endless output. It needs periods of idling to form new connections, solve problems creatively, and regulate emotions. That “aha” moment many professionals wait for may not come from pushing harder, but from stepping away.
Why does Dr Vora say rest is maintenance, not a reward?
We service cars, update phones, and maintain machines, but often expect the human body to run indefinitely without downtime. Dr Vora stresses that people are valuable assets and that rest is routine maintenance, not indulgence.
Do people who take leave actually perform better at work?
Dr Vora argues that employees who use their leave do not fall behind, they last longer. Consistent rest supports better decision-making, steadier energy levels, and more reliable performance over time.
Those who constantly operate at full throttle may impress managers briefly, but often struggle with declining productivity, motivation and health.
How often should you actually take a break?
For optimal wellbeing, Dr Vora suggests a proper break or getaway at least once every six months. It does not have to mean an expensive vacation. Staycations, digital detox days, or quiet time at home also count.
What matters is mental disengagement from work and intentional rest. These pauses help reset stress hormones and strengthen personal relationships that often get neglected in the daily grind.
Should you block your leave for 2026 right now?
Dr Vora recommends planning leave in advance to avoid last-minute cancellations driven by guilt or workplace pressure.
He also calls skipping leave a mindset that belongs firmly in the past. Health, he says, should be built on your own terms, not postponed for performance reviews.
“When you take care of yourself, you’re not slacking off,” he says. “You are investing in your long-term health, happiness and productivity.”
For more health updates, follow #HealthWithBS
This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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