As we all start to get back to life as we knew it before the pandemic, or continuing on for those of use who where front line workers, taking a time out is so important.
We live ing this world were we are promoting the notion that we should be living to work, not working to live. As I see the world reopening and hearing that people just don’t want to work. I thought about the amount of hours that I as adult in my mid-twenties, since I was about eighteen I have been working two jobs and maintaining a part-time to full-time class schedule. It is not that I do not want to work, It is that I am exhausted from working so many hours to just keep life going.
When the pandemic hit, and I finally had time to really reflect on myself and how much I truly was letting my self-care go. I was way overworking myself and not taking any breaks. So I really started to understand how important it was to get away for a few days. This was something that I promised I would do for me when the pandemic started coming to a close.
What I have learned from my getaways:
Time to unplug:
My vacations are filled with taking pictures but nothing else. I do not answer texts that are not related to family. I don’t answer emails. My goal is to leave my busy life at home and not bring it with me. I do not concern myself with work, or social media. I enjoy my coffee in the quietness of nature. I am able to run and exercise and just be with myself in a different place.
Time for Togetherness:
Vacations and getaways for me are usually accompanied by my loving boyfriend and my pup. This means that we get to spend quality time together. We watch movies, talk, sit down and have dinner together. All the things that we do not always get to do because of the hustle and bustle of life. It is so important for us to get away and have fun. Reconnect as a couple. Talking about the future. Making plans. Playing games, laughing with each other. Learning more about one another. It was really away for us to be more connected to one another. This has helped us be more connected to each other in general. Our relationship is so much stonier now than it was before we went.
Alone time:
I do not always have time for me time. However, when we are on vacation I usually get up early and have a cup of coffee by myself, or I go and take a hot bath alone. It is a good time for me to just breathe, ground myself and regroup to be in the moment with the people who are with me. This is something that is very important to me just in general. I need the time and space to reflect and just relax so I can regain the energy that I need to have fun and be a part of the vacation or getaway. This is also a good time for me to reconnect with myself, maybe there is something that I need to be doing more of that I do not normally do. This is a good time for me to figure that out.
Pre-covid I used to think that vacations and getaways were trivial, something that I did not have time for. After all, I am busy working and trying to make life work. However this is something that is a must. It is a time out for me to get back to what is really important in life and what is not. My job will still be there, but I won’t get this time back with the ones that I love. I wont get this time back for myself. It has now become something that my boyfriend and I are very committed to doing. It is also a time to rest and recharge. Which is so important in this life, that is so fast pace.
Slow down and get away from the world. You will learn new things about yourself!
Stay safe!