Was it hard to get away with six kids at home and a ton of obligations? I am on vacation. In Miami. ALONE!
This week I am on vacation visiting my mother. In Miami. ALONE. I know, it’s a dream… Don’t hate me, okay? Get this – we ate OUT. At a restaurant. Honestly, I was over the whole going out to eat thing around the fourth month that restaurants had been closed in Israel this past year, but I have to admit, I had a blast! LOL! And yes, I am gaining weight by the nanosecond here.
Was it hard to get away with six kids at home and a ton of obligations? Oh…. Yeah! The way my brain works, it’s counterintuitive for me to take time off, ever. But now that I am here, I am psyched! I have been so “busy” and distracted this past year, I forgot how key taking time off is for recharging and reconnecting. For women especially, there are endless distractions at home and often the only way to disconnect is a change of scenery.
The way I see it, there are three layers of benefits to going on vacations.
The first is that vacations are fun, energizing and uplifting… providing you with an outpouring of feel-good endorphins. No complaints there, that is for sure.
The next layer of benefits is increased health and wellness such as improved mental health, stress reduction, a more positive outlook on life, improved focus, increased productivity, burnout relief, increased creativity and better relationships.
The final layer is having the time and mindset for doing yishuv hadaas– settling of the mind. We all have things going on in life, decisions to make, situations to figure out, which require contemplation, focus, solutioning, and planning. Usually, they get backburnered because we need to be in a certain head space for contemplating them and doing the rest of the steps.
I have found that vacations provide the perfect headspace for yishuv hadaas. Yes, I know it may sound a little too serious for doing while on vacation, but if you do it, then you have just leveraged your vacation. Imagine coming back home, not only rested, energized and feeling positive, but also finally having clarity and a plan about the direction of your career, the dieting that takes you nowhere or the friend that hasn’t seemed very friendly lately.
Vacations are fun, energizing and uplifting… providing you with an outpouring of feel-good endorphins. No complaints there, that is for sure!…
One very simple technique I use for yishuv hadaas is to simply write it all down in a notebook. Here is an example:
- Write down the problem as well as a question.
I am not finding any time to exercise. How can I restructure my day in order to make time for 30 minutes of exercise?
- Contemplate the question as well as the entire situation. Now write down anything that came to you while contemplating.
This is definitely high priority, must start ASAP.
I can get up a half hour early and work out in the living room.
After I walk the 3-year-old to gan, I can go on a power walk before coming home.
Twice a week I can work out at 9pm
I can walk twice a week, do a workout video twice a week, do my own workout with weights and trampoline twice a week.
- Create a concrete plan.
Sunday & Monday: work out at 6:00am with a workout video.
Tuesday & Wednesday: work out at 9:00pm with weights and trampoline.
Thursday & Friday: power walk after taking 3-year-old to gan.
My point with all of this is that you can really leverage your life by taking a break, whether you are enjoying the first, second or third layer of benefits.
I know the feeling well… you just can’t take off. The home, the workplace, the husband, the kids may fall apart. There may be negative backlash. No one else can step in for you. On top of this, it is hard planning to be away from work and home for a week and then playing catchup once you are back. But is it worth it? Oh… yeah!
Don’t be a woman, wife, or mother who never takes time off for herself (and with husband and children too). You NEED the time off. Your place of employment and family need you to take the time off.
Come back refreshed and rested. Come back more hopeful, focused and positive. Come back with less clutter in your head, more clarity about life and wonderful memories to treasure and bring you closer with your loved ones.
Take the vacation. Get the leverage. You won’t regret it.