UNITED STATES—Having time away from work, even if you’re slightly still working is a great thing. Why? Your brain gets to shut off, it gets to relax it gets to do things that you sometimes only hear about, but you never imagine. A bulk of my vacation was handling volunteer work that I had been hoping to do for quite some time that was actually freed up that I never expected to transpire.
I’m a giver at heart, I always love to give back and for the first time in a long time I was able to do that in part of a country that I could only imagine dreaming of that I never expected. When you place yourself into the shoes of those unlike yourself or those less fortunate without a doubt it makes you see things from a new perspective.
It was like I was working, but at the same time I got the opportunity to fully decompress. Sleeping in past 8am for the first time in years was like a blessing in disguise. I had no idea how routine my life had become when it came to getting up at the same time each morning to prepare for work. Not having access to a computer changed things for me. Why? Even if I wanted to work, guess what I could NOT because I didn’t have a computer to do so or access to the internet to do so.
How about checking that cellphone at countless times even though I didn’t have to, well I just turned it off. I allowed myself to just NOT worry about the phone. Out of sight out of mind, that was the motto and mindset that I had to focus and hone in on America and it was a sensational feeling to have to say the least. I just said for once when it came to work I was NOT worrying about work. I was going to worry about getting rest and relaxation, something that I tend to neglect so often in my personal life it explains my level of burnout that I have been experiencing.
School and work have been at the forefront of my life for the past 6 months and I have had no moment to just breathe. I cannot believe I’m actually going to say this: I DID NOT MISS WORK ONE BIT! It was like an eye-opening experience that allowed me to realize it is okay to disconnect from work. Work is and SHOULD NOT BE YOUR LIFE! There are other things beyond work, and when you remove yourself from the constant hustle and bustle you actually begin to see that which is an incredible feeling.
So many people take a vacation and they’re ready to return to work after a few days, nope, not me, didn’t miss work a single bit. Didn’t want to go back to work nor was I ready to get myself mentally back into the psyche to jump back into work. You start to see the other perspective of things. If I’m not missing work what does that say about me or what does it say about the work that I’m doing myself?
Am I bored, am I frustrated, what is it about my work that stresses me out so much that when I disconnect from work I feel like this heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders? I wish I could give you the answer to that question, but the reality of the situation is I don’t have that answer for you. All I can say is that traveling allows you to relax; rejuvenate and see a new perspective on life that may have been ignored for the past few weeks, months or years. Hell we are all different when it comes to vacations and work, the key is to enjoy the small moments because they offer more perspective than you can imagine.
