The Europeans know the value of vacations as they have a government-mandated, paid 5 weeks time off a year.
It means time to slow down, let the body relax and mind think on stuff other than our daily lives. When it comes to an end, we pick up, with more energy, our lives as we know it.
One of my coaching clients just returned from a month's vacation and sounds completely different. She has a lightness to her voice from having regained her sense of self and has a new perspective on how to move forward in her life and business. Plus her great sense of humor has returned full force.
So before I return from vacation, rested and renewed, I wonder what the rest of the world does to maintain the sense of renewal and carry it forward until the next vacation?
Quicknote: "No Touch Monkey" by Ayun Halliday is the funniest travel adventure book I have read in a very long while. High recommend reading it.
How would you do it? Comments most welcome.
2 comments:
Hm, several thoughts.
First and foremost: Even if my vacation doesn't include going away somewhere far (hello jetlag!), I always budget a full day between getting back and going to work. Two if I can swing it. Nothing's a bigger post-vacation buzzkill than not having time to just sit home after having unpacked/turned the air or heat back on/put away all the mail and staycation before going back to work. It allows me time to get off my own high - which people at work may not appreciate - but stay happy before getting sucked into the usual 9 to 5.
I always budget ordering in good take out so I don't have a lot of dishes to deal with right away. And the first day back at work I take pictures. For myself. They make me happy after I get over the initial shock of what's waiting.
By the way, that does mean that I try to plan ahead of time so that day 1 isn't terrible - the auto responses, the voicemail saying I'm gone until such and such date, the delegating (if that's an option)....it all helps. It makes people respect the fact that you really are gone. And I take a little time before I go to the office to check email so that I'm not completely gobsmacked by what's going on.
The other thing we have in Continental Europe (the British are not as advanced here) is a generally more relaxed and balanced life style. The two countries I am closely associated with offer different answers. Germans tend to break their vacations into blocks, often coupled with the 20 or so public holidays, to extend all possibilies. So vacation blues don't crop up because the next vacation is pretty much around the corner.
Here in France, there is always a massive "rentrer" drive which until this year I couldn't quite understand. But having had a long, quiet, relaxing, undisturbed and less productive summer, I can appreciate the collective kick in the butt - not that it will help because the next few months are financially great and with virtually zero stress - so I can enjoy the food, the wine, the wine harvest and all the other small but significant pleasures of life.
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