Why the Holidays Didn’t Fix Physician Burnout (When Rest Isn’t Rest)

For many physicians, the holidays aren’t a break — they’re a different kind of surge.

Emergency departments fill with winter injuries and “backyard football” mishaps. Clinics see families trying to use benefits before deductibles reset. Teachers and parents schedule long-delayed appointments while school is out. Staffing thins, demand shifts, and the system keeps moving.

So if you worked straight through the holidays, your exhaustion makes sense.

But even if you managed to take time off, many physicians notice the same thing in January:
their body never really powered down.

Why Time Off Doesn’t Always Reduce Physician Burnout

Vacation is often treated as the antidote to burnout. For physicians, it’s rarely that simple.

A national study of more than 3,000 U.S. physicians found that:

Most physicians take three weeks of vacation or less per year
Nearly 70% report working during vacation
Working during vacation is associated with higher burnout
Uninterrupted time off and reliable coverage are associated with lower burnout (Sinsky et al., 2024)

In other words, even when physicians are technically “off,” they are often still cognitively and physiologically engaged.

During the holidays, this boundary erosion tends to worsen — not improve.

Why Physicians Don’t Truly Unplug During the Holidays

This isn’t a failure of self-care.

Two realities collide:

Clinical demand doesn’t stop — it redistributes
Professional responsibility persists — concern for patients, colleagues, and continuity keeps many physicians mentally “on call”

The nervous system never receives a clear signal that the threat window has closed.

Why Your Body Still Feels on Alert in January

When recovery is partial or interrupted, the nervous system stays in high-readiness mode:

Sleep increases, but restoration doesn’t
Muscles remain tense
Irritability and emotional flattening linger
Decision fatigue carries into the new year

This is why January can feel confusing.
You should feel better — but you don’t.

That doesn’t mean rest failed.
It means your nervous system never truly stood down.

What Actually Helps the Nervous System Reset

True recovery requires more than time away. It requires the nervous system to relearn safety.

This is where focused, brain-based approaches like EMDR Intensives differ from traditional weekly therapy or extended time off. Rather than relying on insight alone, they work directly with the physiological stress patterns that keep the body on alert.

👉 Learn more about EMDR Intensives for medical professionals
https://clearblueskytherapyconsulting.com/page/med-provider-home

👉 Book a confidential strategy session
https://clearblueskytherapyconsulting.com/page/eim-book-a-strategy-session

References

Sinsky CA, Trockel MT, Dyrbye LN, et al.
Vacation days taken, work during vacation, and burnout among U.S. physicians.
JAMA Network Open. 2024;7(1):e2351635.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38214928/

American Medical Association.
Too many physicians don’t get to unplug, unwind on vacation.
https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/too-many-physicians-don-t-get-unplug-unwind-vacation

Sign Me Up