It Is OKAY to Take a Vacation

Asia Aoki
Asia Aoki
Jul 23, 2017 · 3 min read

If it’s been a few years since you’ve taken some time off to let your body rest and recuperate, TAKE A VACATION.

You don’t have to go anywhere fancy, you don’t even have to leave your house, but please give yourself the permission to rest.

As someone who often doesn’t know how to quit and runs my body and mind into the ground like I’m getting paid to do it, I understand how hard it is to give yourself time off. At the end of the day, even though it feels like you’ve got the world on your shoulders and that everything will fall apart in your absence, the world does not revolve around you and everyone will survive without you for a week or so. This may not apply to parents, however, it is so crucial to the health of your soul and mind to schedule in some time off every once and a will.

After eight months of not seeing my family, I scheduled some train tickets, booked a week off of work, and am now relaxing in my family’s home in Chatham, a tiny rural town in the heart of South Western ON.

It has been far too long since I’ve been able to take a true break and unplug for the week. While I’m still on call for my internship, I know the pressure will be minimal and the main part of my vacation is not having to work my full time job. I am so excited to rest and get back into my hobbies and I know that I will be recuperated and excited to go back to work come next Monday.

I knew that I was in desperate need for a vacation about a month ago when I really started to dread going into work. I was becoming complacent and I didn't want to do anything. I have come to recognize that this is a sign of mental exhaustion and that I need to break the cycle and do something different for a bit to break out of that exhaustion.

I am planning to catch up with friends from high school, hit the beaches of Lake Erie, and read a few books to exercise my brain in a new way this week, all the while hanging out with my family.

Hopefully my view for a few days this week (pc.pexels.com)

My point is, after months of school and work, you need to let yourself rest. I promise that if you truly rest your body and mind, if you nurture them by taking the time you need and by participating in fulfulling activities (this could be anything from volunteering to binge watching your fave netflix series), you will return to your regularly scheduled programming with a new and fresh perspective on your life.

I am so excited for the productivity that will follow this vacation! Now it’s time to kick back and relax!

Peace out, world! It’s rest and recupe’ time!

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