Why You Need a Vacation From Your Vacation

How often have you come back from a vacation exhausted, only to be waking up early the next morning to go back to work? Do you ever feel like it would be great to have a few days to relax and unpack before getting back to the grind?

With the drive to do more, be more and work as hard as you can to make it, many people are taking less and less time for themselves, often opting to forego their vacation time, and put in longer hours. Well, not only does this rob you of downtime you desperately need, your health will likely suffer.

No one can sustain themselves by always going, going, going, and not take a break. Americans are taking less time off, and even when they have a week to go play, a week is barely enough time to recover from burnout.

How many days do you get off per year including sick days? Have you ever not taken your time off or rolled your days over into the next year? Have you ever felt resentful towards people who do take time off? Have you experienced any irritability from not getting enough “you time?”
There is a way to alleviate this.

5 Tips to Help You In-Between Vacations

1. 1. 1. Set boundaries! When you leave work, leave your work, and all conversations about it, at the office. Leave the building and be free! Turn off the “work” phone. If you work for yourself, set up blocks of time where you commit to taking a break. Many entrepreneurs must make their own schedule, as 9-5 doesn’t usually cut it, however, you can still work in increments of time, giving yourself opportunities to eat, sleep, exercise and play.[adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
      2. Commit to exercising! Exercising sometimes feels like a drag. Like it’s something you have to do. And while it is to some degree, if you want to maintain your health in a particular way, time for exercising, is also more YOU time. Walking around the block, taking the stairs at work, going for a bike ride, going on a hike, all of these moments are to benefit you. You don’t need to make it hard. Walking, just walking can be great for your state of mind. Walk in a park, on the beach, down the street, around the lake, and even on a treadmill with great music in your ears, and it will break up lots of energy, and give you energy too![adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
      3. Take your days off! Use them up. Go play! If you only have a few days (like a weekend), a road trip can be a great excursion. Go places you’ve had on your list to see! Or, if you just need a day of rest, do that! Sleep in! Ask someone to watch your kids and take a day for yourself! (And put your phone in another room so you are not distracted by social media, or emails coming in.)[adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
      4. Ask for help! Seek guidance when needed. Maybe you need a different job that doesn’t drain you. I was watching Family Feud the other day and one of the questions was, “On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the work you are doing in the world?” And 2 women answered, “5” and “3”. 10 was the number one answer. If you feel the same as these ladies, that’s a sign to leave your job and find something that inspires you. Talk with people in the industry you want to work. Ask for guidance. Love what you do, it will make a difference![adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
      5. Leave time for rest! When you book your vacations, make sure you are leaving some time for rest. If you leave on the 8p flight after work, and fill your vacation with back-to-back activities, and then arrive home at 8p the day before you go back to work, you will surely still be burntout. If you’ve never done this before, the next time you book your vacation days, give yourself time on either end to relax. Also, while on vacation, wake up each morning and decide after you wake up, what you want to do. Give yourself the freedom to just BE. With nothing to do, nowhere to be, this newfound freedom might inspire you and also relax you, which is the point of you being on vacation!

This is your life. It’s happening now and you are either living for yourself, or you are living for someone else. Choose wisely and know that you are meant to ENJOY life. So, find work you love, take time for yourself, play and share all this goodness which you are with others!

‘Til next time, thanks for reading, and let’s go somewhere magical!

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