Let it Flow

I’ve been in Florida for the past 5 days for some R&R. I needed it and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I took a break from all things business including email, blogging and thinking. The laptop stayed home. Like so many people I know, I get caught up in the need to be connected. For what? I was not connected for 5 days and you know what happened? Nothing. This disconnection allowed me to completely relax, rejuvenate and get a clear mind around some changes I need to make for my own personal and professional effectiveness.

Here’s what I learned:

1. I can survive without checking email - and the world around me will, too. I had no access to email and I didn’t even fret once. I also realized this is a time waster for me - there is too much email in my life! New rule: Check once in am, once in pm. That’s it. Need to reach me? Call.
2. I can survive without the cell phone on - I checked voice mail twice in 5 days. I put an out of office message and will return calls today.
3. Removal from my typical environment helps. Working at home or a local coffee shop can get mundane and I lose inspiration. I learned after spending 5 days at the beach, I need more outdoor time and I re-energize when I’m removed from my regular environment. Now that spring has arrived in New England this should be easier to accomplish.
4. I create my own stress. This I already knew. I had NO stress while on vacation and I concluded I don’t need to have stress when I get home either. Making appropriate choices will help. I put too much pressure on myself to be successful, perfect, blog 3 times per week, etc. Enough is enough! I’ve been home for just over 12 hours and so far so good with the stress.
5. I have plenty of time during the day. It’s true, I really do have enough time. And when I give myself time to slow down, it’s like I have even more time! Funny how that works. The time constraints are in my mind only and not “real”.
6. Rest is critical. As a high energy person I am going from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I learned that a bit more balance during the day would be helpful to avoid the crash and burn on vacation. It’s ok to stop, read, rest, for even a few minutes during the day! Rest doesn’t have to come in 5 day increments.
   
7. Not thinking about work actually generated more clear ideas. By not thinking about my next business move, I actually came home with more clarity about the direction of my business than if I had spent the weekend thinking about it. I’m rested enough to make it all happen!
8. Losing sight of what’s really important. Work is important to pay the bills and because I’m passionate about it. However what’s really important to me is taking care of my health. That means a little more downtime, more time with family, and more opportunity to connect to my inner spirit. Even though my work is passion work, because it’s a business, I get easily caught up in the day to day of it all. A little perspective always helps.

What I learned is that no matter how I spend my day, taking a break is critical. Whether I have 5 minutes or 5 days, I need to take what I can and use it to my advantage. Rest doesn’t = laziness. Rest is about health and well-being. Rest could be the difference between high and low blood pressure, anxiety and calm, health vs disease, effective business outcome vs not so effective. Really.

When was the last time you took a break, truly a break from email, phone calls, computers, even family? What did you do and how did you manage? Having trouble remembering? Maybe it’s time to take a rest today. Or join me in Vermont this June for a women’s weekend getaway with yoga, hiking, relaxation and more!

Tags: Food for thought, Miscellaneous Wellness, Stress //