And boy did I need them!! I was so much more worn out than I had realized. Despite knowing better, I have been less than ideal at maintaining boundaries over the last few months [being a people pleaser and an entrepreneur are often not the ideal mix in this regard!] and consequently was rather crawling towards the finish line of holidays!!
My husband and I celebrated our 20th<\/sup> wedding anniversary last week, and our gift to each other was a 7-day trans-Alpine hike<\/a> from the southern part of Germany, across Austria, to Italy. It was absolutely spectacular, and one of the most relaxing holidays we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt might sound counter-intuitive to say that a trans-Alpine hike was relaxing, but it truly was!! I thought a lot about the 7 Types of Rest<\/a> during that hike \u2013 because during the hike I did get most of them!! We were both offline. We were outside enjoying nature. It was so easy to be present and mindful. It was the antithesis of Decision Fatigue<\/a>! Our decisions were at the level of \u201cshorts or pants today?\u201d or \u201cvegetarian or meat option?\u201d at dinner. Bliss!! It was such a carefree week. My mind hasn\u2019t been that calm in years!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n WE NEED TO TAKE TIME OFF…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking time off is critical to our ability to perform at optimal levels. I love this article from Forbes that says that taking a vacation could save your life<\/a>! \ud83d\ude00 According to the article (and confirmed by my sample size of two during my own recent holiday!!), \u201cTaking vacation time is essential to employee survival. That\u2019s because time off from work is integral to well-being, sustained productivity and high performance.<\/em>\u201d The article goes on to state that vacation time: PODCASTS…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my new favourite podcasts, The Long and the Short of It<\/a>, did an interesting episode recently on Finding a Groove<\/a>. They talked about how we often are in a groove (which sounds positive), but that often that groove is actually a rut (not so positive). Taking time off offers us the opportunity to get out of our groove (or rut) for a while, and when we return to work, we potentially have new perspectives on that old groove. Maybe it\u2019s time to find a new one? Taking time off can show you more clearly which is groove and which is rut as well!
\u00b7 Increases mindfulness
\u00b7 Improves heart health
\u00b7 Reduces stress
\u00b7 Boosts brainpower
\u00b7 Improves sleep
I would like all of those, wouldn\u2019t you??
Mental clarity, improved productivity, better balance, improved focus, and better relationships are excellent reasons to take time off<\/a>. Time off makes us healthier people, and better employees too!
And by the way: this isn\u2019t limited to summer holidays. This is an all-year-round phenomenon that many of us have forgotten to include into our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also enjoyed this podcast<\/a> [only available in German] about the concept of Vacation Stress. Are you taking time off to recharge, refresh, and enjoy some downtime? Or are you taking time off to keep up with the Jones\u2019?? Is your vacation about you? Or is your vacation \u2013 and how impressive it \u201cshould\u201d be \u2013 stressing you out?
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