Here's Why You Need A Vacation
Well Rested Humans Make This World A Better Place.
When I became self-employed, I made myself a promise: No More Grind.
As it turns out, that’s an easy vow to make… but harder than expected to execute!
Take vacations for example. In my nonprofit leadership days, I recognized the correlation between rest and peak performance. I understood and prioritized REST as a core value for myself and my staff. But now that I’m “master of my own universe", I’m discovering just how hard it can be to set aside sufficient time for renewal and self-care.
When it comes to work and rest, I’ve long lamented the sorry state of affairs for the working class here in the United States. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, we’re the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee workers paid vacation days and paid holidays.
Seriously, check this out:
(Source: Center for Economic Policy and Research)
Want to hear something that’s arguably even sadder?
For those who DO receive paid time off, many of us aren’t even using the benefits we currently have!
A recent study by the U.S. Travel Association found that 55% of Americans aren’t utilizing all of their paid vacation time.
Annual vacation day usage has decreased by 4.9 days since 2000.
In 2018, Americans forfeited 768 million days of paid time off.
That’s a lot of R&R left on the table, my friends. For many employees, those hours cannot be rolled over or exchanged for pay. In essence, many people are DONATING their time back to their employers.
But it doesn’t end there!
Even when we do take time off, most of us never fully unplug. A survey by TurnKey Vacation Rentals found that 70% of us are on an electronic leash the entire time, checking in with work even while we are on vacation.
UGH. Is this who we want to be? I don't think so... and neither do a lot of experts I've read on the subject.
“At a visceral level, everybody really wants to take vacations. But in a culture that values accomplishment, that rewards superstars, where there is only one first place and you have winners and then everybody else, the temptation of trying to optimize every day is very real.”
So what’s going on here?
Some people might say they love their work, and don’t “need” to take a break.
Others believe there is nobody to fill the gaps in their absence, which just translates to more work when they get back from vacation… so why bother?
Still others work in competitive environments where overwork is worn like a badge of honor. Taking time off may be possible in theory, but it just isn’t done in practice.
Regardless of the reasons, most Americans continue sacrificing our mental and physical health at the altar of The Economy. (Or.. for those of us in the nonprofit and public sectors: "The Mission.")
We may say that we don’t like the way things are… but the majority of us keep on doing it anyway. We promise ourselves we’ll slow down after completing “just one more thing.” But we don't.
Our choices become habits. Those habits, in turn, become our destiny.
As technology helps us become more efficient and productive, instead of claiming some of our leisure time back we just keep giving more of it over to our employers. Sounds kinda nutty when put like that, huh?
NEWSFLASH: Nobody is going to give us permission to prioritize our own needs.
Only we can do this for ourselves. And it starts by valuing our rest… and maximizing every resource we have available to achieve it.
I love this invitation from The Nap Ministry, for whom Rest IS Resistance:
How will you be useless to capitalism today?
Meditate.
Sleep on it.
Daydream.
PLEASE REST.
Disrupt and push back against a
system that views you as a machine.
You are not a machine.
You are a divine human being.
YES, I know this can be difficult to accomplish.
If you’re at all like me, I’ll bet you have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders. “Rest” sounds nice, and it can also seem so far out of reach when we’re in the thick of our obligations, commitments and plans.
I see this a lot with my clients and former colleagues, and boy do I relate. Most of us envision a different tomorrow for ourselves, one where we’re living in greater harmony with our needs, desires and values.
We have the best of intentions, but there’s often a "compelling reason" why we convince ourselves that incremental change cannot begin TODAY.
After I finish this big project at work, I’ll slow down
Once the kids are a little older, I’ll have time for myself
When I retire, I’ll pursue the hobbies I’ve set aside
I just need to get a little more money in savings, then I can ease up
Seriously... enough is enough!
There will ALWAYS be a reason to keep grinding. Our culture reinforces and rewards it – to the detriment of our health, vitality, wellbeing and joy. Nobody wins when we all stay on the hamster wheel. Some brave souls need to muster the courage to step out of that spin.
It IS possible, and I’m your living proof.
I shifted from a Type A, hard charging, Master of the Grind to where I am today through a series of small changes. Little decisions to try something different really do add up over time, and can lead to a complete transformation of how you experience your life.
That doesn’t mean it will be easy.
Back when I daydreamed about working for myself, I assumed I’d be the best boss I’d ever had! Surely it would be a no-brainer to schedule time off whenever I desired it. It would be oh-so easy to live my values when I was finally in charge of all the decisions. Right?!?
Er, ahem (clears throat sheepishly)... not so much.
When you’re getting a solo practice or new project off the ground, deciding to take a lengthy vacation represents a very real financial risk. With no paid time off to draw from, and no guarantees that there will be work waiting for me on the other side, scheduling the month of August off was a major leap of faith.
Nevertheless, I knew I needed to do it.
Like you, I’m still and always negotiating internal pressure, unconscious beliefs, cultural conditioning and learned behaviors... particularly around Overwork and Achievement. I need to remain vigilant or I’ll slip into old habits and behaviors - grinding a little harder every day until I’m right back on that hamster wheel.
I wholeheartedly believe that there is a better way to live, and to lead.
But here's the rub: doing so requires fortitude. In my case, I recognized that if I didn’t take time off to recharge my batteries and replenish my well of inspiration this summer, my work would suffer. Not only that, I’d be seriously failing YOU.
How can I encourage others to rest if I don’t do so myself?
To live my values, I need to put my money where my mouth is from the outset. Or, as a dear friend of mine likes to say: “Begin as you mean to go on.” And so I have!
Living in alignment with our truth requires steadiness, and the occasional leap of faith. I recognize there’s more to me, and to my life, than the WORK I do. Vital parts of who I am can only be experienced and expressed inside these pauses for reflection, relaxation and play.
It’s the same for you. There are gorgeous pieces of you that only emerge when things slow down. And we need those parts of you in the game.
The world is in crisis, my friend.
We can all feel the relentless horror and heartache pulsing across the collective wires. If it seems frivilous for me to be talking about the importance of "taking a break" right now, trust me... it's anything but.
In every crisis, there is also opportunity. In these times, more and more people are saying Fuck No to the grind and finding their way off the hamster wheel.
Those of us with the power to choose are called to actually stand in our power. To exercise it.
When we break down old paradgims and choose better, more humane way to live, we help usher forward new realities.
Will you choose rest in the name of revolution – for yourself, and for the world?
If we want to ensure a better future for all life, it starts with many of us taking small, everyday actions. So here we are at the moment of truth, where it’s time for me to ask you a very pragmatic question:
Have you taken a REAL break yet this season?
If so, BRAVO! Now go get that NEXT break on your calendar.
If not, can I persuade you to schedule something out TODAY? You deserve it, and the world needs it. Your self-care truly does serve everyone around you.
Restore yourself through rest.
