However much you know you’re not actually a machine, it’s easy to get sucked into a punitive cycle of work, work, work.

You tell yourself you’ll just finish that one major project, or hang around to see the new team member settle in, and before you know it, you haven’t had a day off in eight months.

Little wonder a recent study found employees in the UK are left “stressed, rundown and depressed” because they’re not taking enough holiday.

Even if you adore your job, taking time out is crucial for renewed perspective and that rare acreage of head space it affords.

Here are three signs from the pros at Business Insider on the warning signs that indicate you’re in desperate need of a break. Check ‘em and start plotting your escape, on the double...

“A lack of healthy perspective on issues can definitely be a sign you need to re-calibrate your mental settings,” Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of The Humor Advantage tells Business Insider.

If day-to-day duties that once presented no issue are suddenly building up or feel like treacle to wade through, it’s a warning light to book that Croatian escape.

"Reaching for a glass of wine as soon as you're in the door from work, overeating, or forgoing your normal exercise routine, can all be signs you need to shake things up with a vacation," Kerr says.

Read more: The art of leaning back – why it’s time to redefine what stress looks like

The same goes if, “rather than going for a run or participating in fun activities in your off hours, all you can manage to do is drag yourself to your couch when you get home because your energy level is so depleted that you're not getting the health and wellness benefits from your off time the way you should be.”

According to Kerr, “If you feel your work spirit flagging, and can't remember what it is that made you love your job, then it might be time to get away.”

Images: iStock