Do you hear that quiet? Traffic is a little lighter. Emails (maybe) a bit fewer. The pace of work slowing down – even if just a smidgeon. It’s summer! Where the living is (supposedly) easier.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay/Bellahue123
Summer is one of those few times in the year when many of us get a built-in break or at least a reprieve from the relentless pace of work and life. Granted, for those grinding it out during summer, hopefully there are at least some opportunities for summer recharge – perhaps a long weekend here and there; and with longer daylight, some more enjoyment after hours?
I’m having a quieter summer than usual and I’m taking advantage of it. Unplugging from work a little more. Rest is crucial to clear the brain, recharge our nervous systems, have some fun, and simply rejuvenate. I can use all that. How about you?
Saving up for rest and recharge just for vacations just doesn’t cut it. The lead up to a break and the stress of the return to work after can often add more stress. A week or two (or more) is lovely but doesn’t take care of all the weeks in between. It’s kind of like trying to eat all your veggies in one singular day and meal. Imagine eating tons of broccoli just on Sunday and no vegetables the rest of the week. Doesn’t quite work that way. Same for rest and recovery. We need micro-doses along the way.
But rest we must. Our brains, minds, and bodies were not built to withstand the never-ending hustle bustle cycle of work and stress. Even Olympians take time to rest. In fact, it’s been said that those who make it to the podium achieve their medal by taking their rest and recovery as serious as their training days.
Many of us have lost the skill of taking meaningful breaks to recharge. There’s always more to do. The never-ending task list. As work has become faster, heavier and more demanding our seasons of work and rest have blended with boundaries blurred. Same for that line between home and work, especially with hybrid work still in play for many.
There’s just got to be a better way. Enjoy your summer break. But knowing the bookends of getting ready and coming back can draining, reflect on how you can bring meaningful rest and refresh to your life – during those breaks and in between them throughout the year.
A few thoughts:
Take it when you can – even if it isn’t perfect. Many people forego taking time off because they feel they are too busy at work, or they don’t have anything special to do. So it feels like wasted time so they might as well work. Saving up your time for the ‘perfect time’ or the ‘perfect way to use your time’ won’t do your brain or body good. It will catch up to you and when the real busy seasons come, will you be as ready and refreshed as you need to be?
Make a list. If you don’t have a super exciting big holiday planned, no worries. Make a list of things you might enjoy if only you had even a bit of time. “If I had the time, I’d like to do more of __”. It doesn’t have to be a trip around the world. Be a tourist in your own city. Read that book you always wanted to. Clean out that old shed, or closet. Catch up with an old friend.
Small is good! Don’t fall into the limiting belief that your hard-earned break must be big and impressive. Let go of that striving and driving mentality to ‘perform well’ even in your breaks. You don’t need to be impressive. You don’t need to achieve. You just need to learn to shift gears. Maybe slow down. Or rev the pace up – but with something different that engages your mind, soul, spirit – outside of work. Even tiny breaks can be expansive if we get out of our same old routine and habitual frame of mind. Think and act tiny and notice the big difference it can make.
Shhh. Practise a bit of quiet. Life is so loud and busy and chaotic. As human beings we are always thinking, thinking. Can you turn that off for just a bit. Engage in anything that gets your mind of the cycle of work and life worries. Stillness may not be easy for everyone, but when we do get quiet, it’s amazing what we can start to hear as fresh, and more helpful thinking can emerge. In quiet, you can come home back to your self. Your real (and whole) self, not just your working self.
Reflect purposefully. As we give those chatty inner critics their own vacation and quiet our busy thoughts, reflect on some more intentional, purposeful questions. Perhaps, revisit the 12 reflection questions from the early new year. Add new ones like: “How can I rest and refresh even in this shorter space of time? What does my body and mind need right now? What would be fun, different, nourishing to do with my time this weekend, afternoon, evening (whenever).
Block it off and pay yourself first. In the workdays, consider paying some time to yourself first (like the financial planners recommend with money) to recharge and catch your breath. Some of my clients told me they leave their entire calendars open and then all their time gets booked by others with no time left for themselves. They learned that even 20 minutes to pause and reflect or go for a short walk can make a big difference to one’s energy in those crazy busy days.
Eileen Chadnick, PCC, of Big Cheese Coaching, is an ICF credentialed, two-time ICF (International Coaching Federation) Prism award winner. She works with leaders (emerging to experienced), and organizations, on how to create better ways to navigate times of flux, opportunity and challenge. She is the author of Ease: Manage Overwhelm in Times of Crazy Busy.
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