Reboot and Refuel
Holiday periods are wonderful opportunities to unwind and relax, to reward yourself with a holiday break away and spend time with loved ones. Invariably, as creatures of routine, being out of our work schedule means it will also become a time for reflection. Some thoughts will be welcome and some won’t, as our minds unearth deep dark corners of doubt and unhappiness with the small things you have not had time to think of lately or have pushed to the side. In the stress and fast pace of our normal lives, we are prone to reject nagging doubts or thoughts but once away from our routine and structure and better able to breathe and think, back they will come.
To avoid burn out and hopefully not have your holiday sabotaged by negativity, to enable yourself to look after your emotional and physical health and return to work re-energised, it is useful to remember the following tips to get the most out of your holiday and to also understand and get the most out of these reflective moments.
1. Apathy and indifference….strongest and most destructive indicators of a dead relationship, be it with your employer or your lover. If your thoughts go here, it is time to evaluate the last chapter of the year. In the next month or so we will enter the last quarter of the year, ask yourself important questions: How do you want this year to end? Is it time to move on? How long have you felt like this? Have you discussed or tried talking to your employer about any of this? We are brought up to fear endings and discomfort instead of realizing them as inevitable parts of life’s passage. Your relationship with your employer is like any other, it will require mutual investment and maintenance and often goes in cycles. When it has reached it’s natural end someone has to call it, figuring out if that time has come may not be comfortable but it may be essential.
2. Do not have your work emails on your phone and don’t be tempted to log on. Good employers will want you to switch off and will not expect you to be on call 24/7. You are worth much more to the organization and your colleagues having slept, eaten and refueled for the next months ahead.
3. Time for Yourself. As well as time with loved ones, try to do at least one activity or allot one portion of time a day to just yourself, even if it is just going for a walk. Time in one’s own company is essential and if you spread yourself too thin and try to be all things to all people this holiday, you could end up going back to work more tired.
4. Avoid Excess. You may be tempted to indulge and allow yourself the luxuries you don’t in a normal week, that extra glass of wine perhaps or the fast-food burger three days in a row. Having earned the break, don’t deprive yourself and do relax your rules and self-recriminations but try not to go overboard. Excessive intake of fatty foods and alcohol contribute directly to depression, lethargy, and sluggishness and will not help you perk up and refresh your energy levels.
In short, make this holiday a holiday, a break from all of it and use it for stress relief, self-care, and positive constructive reflection. Only in our moments of peace and space can we truly figure out where we next want to be or what changes need to be made. Don’t resist the change or discomfort at the possible endings up ahead, embrace them and with your new re-energized spirit meet them head-on with grace and fortitude.
