By Lauren Beasley
How many hours of PTO do you currently have “saved for a rainy day” or for an emergency? When was the last time you actually took some time off and didn’t feel like you needed a vacation from your vacation? When was the last time you had no plans? No soccer games, no cheerleading practice, no baby showers, no A.M. meetings, no emails to check, no phone calls to make, no dinner plans, and nowhere to be? If you’re like me, the last time you had nothing to do like I just described, you probably weren’t able to drive either.
My job is demanding. I travel; I work early hours and long days. I talk to a lot of people, some of which are not exactly receptive to what I have to say. I lean over a computer or a microscope or some type of medical equipment most of the day. And the rest of the day, I am reading paperwork and responding to emails. And then when I get home, my second job starts.
After working nights and commuting daily two hours out of town for the past year, I decided to take some time off. I mean, some real time off. One month. I planned accordingly and financially, and threw my itinerary and to-do lists to the wind.
The first week, I slept. A lot. Maybe 12-15 hours a day, and I’m not sorry about it at all. I was on the road or in the hospital from midnight to noon for months. I would come home and crash for a few hours, wake up, cook dinner, and try to be as social as possible while running on fumes. And even though I had scattered days off, I used those to clean the house and catch up on what sleep I could, when I wasn’t making up for missed social events. My mind, my body, my soul were all tired.
Week two, I refocused. I spent time with loved ones that I felt like I had not seen in a while. I caught up with my best friend on what was going on in her life. I opened a book and then another. I sat down with a pen and paper. I journaled. I picked up my gym membership. I exercised. I relearned my own home. I sat outside in the morning with coffee and watched the sunrise or the ducks in the water. I conversed with neighbors. I walked through the neighborhood without my phone, and simply looked at stuff. How often do we hear that phrase, “open your eyes”?
Week three was when I really noticed something. I didn’t really talk to anyone. I spent days cleaning and just spending time alone in my home. I ignored phone calls and texts; I didn’t check emails or really watch television. I did spend more and less time on social media, if that makes sense. I didn’t check it as soon as I woke up, because I found myself having the time to enjoy my morning doing other things, so I had time to peruse social media at hours I would not normally when I was working. So, one day, I took a selfie, and as I stared at it, I didn’t really recognize the face. I wondered if I had a filter on, or was it just really great lighting? It took me a while, but what I finally noticed was how relaxed my face looked. Some of my little wrinkles and creases had disappeared and I actually looked younger. I felt like I was looking at a picture of me from high school. Apparently when you don’t spend twelve hours or more a day talking to people, whether in person or on the phone, the muscles in your face actually relax some. Who would have thought NOT talking would be so beneficial?
I cannot wait to see what week four holds!
So, my advice for you, while I understand is easier said than done, is take some time off. Make time to take time. Because we all know that stress can and will affect your life. And your place of employment will have your job listing posted before your obituary ever hits the newspaper.
Taking time off will get your body moving rather than sitting in a chair at a desk all day. It is excellent for your health, physical and mental, and has been proven to boost immune health in general. It will improve your relationships, personal and professional. It will let your mind refocus, so that when you return to that big deadline, you see things with a different perspective. In fact, taking time off might even ignite some creativity. You never know where you will find inspiration when you look around.
Kind of like writing an article about taking time off while…you’re taking time off.
