Unplug and Unwind
Post-vacation season (aka Fall) tends to be dreary for most office and professional types as the days get shorter and the darkness literally closes in. There also seems to be a sentiment of borderline regret in terms of not taking full advantage of the great weather the past few months have delivered…but really, when IS a good time to take a vacation? Never…
At least that’s how most of us tend to feel, because no matter what, at the end of the day, in our absence our presence and position are not compensated by anybody else. Going on vacation tends to be a stressful time for this reason, because there’s a pent up anxitey and guilt revolving around your time off and how much it will impact your workplace and co-workers. There may even be an impending fear of upsetting your co-workers by your not being there, as workloads may be divided out during your absence.
Then, after spending a week of sweating it out, you return to work and, surprise surprise, the building’s still standing, your job’s still there, and nobody hates you. So what’s with all the stress and worries in the first place? We think it’s got a lot to do with being “plugged in” while on vacation, which is ever so easy from anywhere in the world with a wifi connection. Whether you’re only checking e-mails or voicemails, this is not done innocently and should certainly be put on hold for sanity’s sake.
To fully take advantage of your time off, you must fully emerge yourself as opposed to sitting on the sidelines white-knuckle gripping your Blackberry until your next potential e-mail comes through. You took time off for a reason, so commit to it! Don’t worry about work, it’s going to be fine, and most importantly, whatever you do, do matter how hard it is, DON’T check in with work in any way shape or form. In fact, just leave your device locked in your room and turned off so that it’s only there in case of an emergency. Or even better, just leave it at home! How much are you really going to need it while you’re kicking back on a beach sucking back a Mojito anyways?! There’s always next year, so when that time comes around, listen to us and try to unplug so you can fully relax and detach from your nagging workplace and guilty conscience. It’s always worth it no matter how hard it seems to do.
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image courtesy of Alan Cleaver
