How can you enjoy vacation time as a recovering workaholic?
When others take an extended break from work, it seems like such a relaxing experience.
But when you try to do it, it ends up being stressful and guilt-ridden.
I recently took a few days off in Denver, Colorado. It was a struggle, but I learned a lot.
Here are the 3 things that most helped me enjoy my break, and my advice to you:
1. Create a legitimate opening to enjoy your vacation.
Before leaving, I carved out a block in my schedule when I knew I’d be “off”.
But I didn’t just put it there in the hopes that I’d actually do it. I repeatedly reminded my students and clients so they knew my boundaries:
- When I was leaving and when I’d be back.
- What they should do to prepare for the gap in support.
- If, when, and how they should contact me while I was away.
This gave me some peace of mind, so that whenever I started freaking out about “letting them down”, I could remind myself that they’d be ok.
This helped me enjoy vacationing that little bit more.
2. Set an agenda at the start of each day to reduce overwhelm.
I found the anxiety would start almost immediately as I woke each morning. And, once it was there, it felt immovable.
One thing that helped is to determine a few main things I planned to do that day, with my partner, before we even left the bed.
For example, one day those things were:
- “I want to swim in the middle of the day (when the sun’s between the buildings).”
- “Let’s use up X groceries today so we don’t end up wasting food when we check-out.”
- “I want to ride electric scooters through the city, before sunset.” (This one came from my partner—shocking, I know.)
Just by creating a loose structure for the day, everything felt a lot less overwhelming and a lot more doable.
3. Take it hour by hour, and let it be ok to change the plan.
Living in the moment is not something that comes naturally to me at all. But, the more I practice it, the easier it becomes.
One day, I was in the whirlpool, lost in thought. Yes—I said I’d be back by 12. But I reminded myself that Brian would call/text if the food was ready. There was time.
The feeling that time is abundant is… rare. And that’s ok. It’s great to be conscious of how we spend our time, as it makes us more productive in the “real world”.
However, if you can think of vacation as a sort of time warp in which your time is more your own than ever before, it provides a fresh and helpful perspective.
“I get to change the plan” is a great mindset to cultivate, and can really help you enjoy vacation time more.
“Your ability to be in the present moment is critical for maximum enjoyment of life.“
I’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of these techniques and if they work for you, too!
I plan to make them a regular part of all future vacations because I deserve it :).
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