This is a blog post I hope none needs to read, but, unfortunately, I know that a lot of professionals will find it useful. The eternal conundrum, going on vacation and still feeling stressed! I still remember how many times I was lying at the beach, knowing that these one or two weeks (in best case scenario) were my only opportunity to relax and accumulate the strength for one more busy year, but I couldn’t! My mind was stuck on pending stuff, on my team and every time the phone was ringing, I was worried I had to run back to the room and sit in front of my laptop. This was a definitely a nightmare! Sometimes it felt better to just go back at work.
Today is not the case. My vacation is a vital part of my professional well-being and as such I make sure is full of relaxation and joy. But how did this transition happen? It was after a burnout, that my coach asked me 3 questions that completely changed my way I was thinking my vacation and I’m sharing here with you in case you also find them useful:
Is taking a proper vacation important part of your job or a luxury?
This question helped me understand what my beliefs were around taking time – off. I was raised in a family that ‘’work’’ was appreciated, while just sitting and doing nothing was always raising comments such as: ‘’You are so lazy’’, ‘’Look at your brother is helping your father all the time while you are just watching TV’’ etc. So, taking vacation was coming with a feeling of discomfort, till the time my job was ‘’important enough’’ to help me create excuses that I cannot completely disconnect. You get my point, right? 😉 It was not the work that needed my support but it was me that I needed the job to hide behind my fears of not being useful or important enough 😊
What will happen if you do not respond?
That was another question that hit me directly at the stomach! What will happen if I do not respond? The team and the company will fall apart? People will die out of hunger or desperation? Of course nothing. Whatever the level of seniority I had, business would still move forward, clients would get a solution, revenues would come etc. I am not saying that my contribution was not important, but I was able to see clearly that even if I was not picking up my phone on my vacation, things would still happen one way or the other. It was my FOMO (fear of missing out) that was keeping my mobile always close to me, not a real business need. 😉
Do you think you have sufficient planning skills and proper boundaries?
Vacation, like everything else needs proper planning and clear boundaries. In my case even if I was trying to have all my topics completed prior to my vacation, or properly updating my team on open tasks, I was really struggling to keep the boundaries. So, everyone knew, that with the smallest question they could pick up the phone and ask me, and in some cases I was jumping in and finishing the topic myself. It was so hard to say ‘’NO’’, because it was triggering some childhood week points: ‘’You are not a good girl’’, ‘’Your mum will not take you to the party if you keep saying No’’ etc. Understanding those beliefs it was areal gamechanger for me and allowed me to learn to but boundaries in all areas of my life 😊
Remember, it's okay to allow yourself to relax, recharge, and enjoy your time off! You deserve it!
Do you want to explore if working together will help you transform your organization or your professional life to a championship? Would you like to know more about my holistic approach Bridging Brains & Simplifying Processes Method that expedites results? Then feel free to book a Discovery Session
Your People in Business Expert,
Sylvia
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