When was the last time you had a vacation, a holiday?
Where you took time away from your work, let down and allowed yourself to replenish?
Go on, be honest…
I have noticed a trend in this Covid Era of health professionals not taking the same amount or type of time off than we did Pre Covid-Era.
I am having more and more conversations with health professionals where I find myself asking them – when was the last time you took time off? And people realising that it’s been quite some time. Often, the first stage in my coaching work with many people is ‘how to plan for and take time off effectively’.
I understand why we haven’t been doing this – here are a few of the reasons I am seeing, hearing (and find myself doing).
- I can’t go anywhere, so I’ll wait until I can have a real vacation.
- There is just too much to do.
- I can’t ask clients who have been on a waiting list for months to wait until I have a vacation.
- I don’t have enough money to take a vacation.
- I don’t deserve one (this is my current personal favourite).
Despite what we might be telling ourselves about vacations and holidays, the truth is we need to take time away from our work.
We all know the realities of burn out and its consequences.
What many health professionals do not understand is that WE are the TOOLS of our trade. Like a carpenter has a hammer, and a gardener has a shovel, the tools of our trade are our mental and emotional capacity and capability – in short, our cognition, executive functioning, and our emotions.
A carpenter is not going to stand on scaffolding that has cracks on it in case he falls and hurts himself and can’t work.
A gardener will clean his shovel before he has to use it again so that it’s ready for use, and remains fit for its purpose (have you ever tried you use a shovel that has caked on dirt on it? Not easy.)
Like people who use tangible tools, we need to be taking care of the tools of our trade.
And we can’t do this if we don’t stop from time to time (personally I need to stop every 3 months, or 90 days).
Not just time away from work tasks, a proper, restful, letting down, a no one else’s emotions allowed break.
A chance for our emotions to find their equilibrium.
A chance for our new acceptable levels of anxiety to slow the heck down.
A chance for our brains to process what the heck is happening in the world.
A chance to hit a reset button.
This is not lazy, nor is it self indulgent. THIS IS NECESSARY.
We have all heard the term, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Well, you can’t pour into a cup that is over full.
What I mean is this: if your cup is full of 30 different clients’ and all their needs; and billing issues; and social media posts, and marketing campaigns, and additional streams of revenue ideas, it’s going to get to the point where there is no room left for anything, or anyone else to fit.
And as a consequence you may:
- Become increasingly frustrated;
- Become tearful;
- Your sleep won’t be refreshing or restful;
- You won’t want to be around people you love;
- You won’t eat nutritionally rich food.
Actually this is a really long list, lets not depress ourselves here – segue…
I am about to embark on a holiday at home. Or for my USA readers – a staycation. I have pooh-poohed this idea because I don’t like holidays at home. Home is where the work is. Home doesn’t feel like a holiday. Home feels like work.
However, I am currently living in a situation where I can’t really go anywhere else. And if I could go and stay in a resort or hotel, there would be no staff to look after me in the ways I have become accustomed too.
My husband and I know we need a break. We are good at scheduling them, but we haven’t yet cracked the code on how to make this work.
We have however spent time thinking about and planning how we could make our Home feel more like a vacation – because I can assure you for me it’s not just about the absence of work tasks. Here’s a Blog John wrote that describes what we have done to get ready for our holiday at home.
I have also asked the question of a couple of trusted mental health professionals to share with me how they prepare for and choose to make vacationing at home work for them.
MA Psychotherapy,
In July 2020, my family and I were scheduled for a 10-week Europe, Canada & US Transatlantic cruise holiday which was cancelled due to COVID. I was emotionally exhausted after having a full practice for 8 years and was catapulted into a major existential life crisis. Stuck at home with nowhere to go, I found myself taking daily walks in nature which led me to training in eco/nature therapy.
Spending time in nature helps us to connect with the feminine, the soul-self and with Mother Earth. Nature nourishes and regenerates through our senses. We can learn so much about ourselves by spending time in nature. It teaches us how to be with the seasons of change – perfect for coping with COVID. In nature we can deepen the relationship we have with ourselves via communicating with the wildlife or by being creative by making magical sticks, wild ink art, nature collage, home crafts or nature mandalas.
This year I have scheduled one week each school holidays and 4 weeks over Christmas. I’ll be spending much of that time in nature.
*edit Jo here – just so you know, Jodie will be running courses in eco/nature therapy for therapists, in 2022, join the waitlist here)
Registered Counsellor (M.A.C.A)
B.Sc (Micro) Dip Couns; Qualified Member A.C.A
Since working from home for the past 9 weeks, I thought why not make use of the backyard and the beach lounge chair! Being accountable for my wellbeing and self-care was something I really lacked. Basking and meditating under the sun for 15 minutes felt long however it was a luxury!
Although some days can get carried away, whether it be over working, over thinking, I remind myself that I have a resort a door away! To immerse myself and use my imagination that I am at the beach or by a nice lake with the birds chirping, I do feel like I am somewhere else and not at home working by the clock! This really helps break the habit of being stationary and heavily engrossed in front of the laptop for 4 hours straight. When I take a short break, I know I deserve it!
Grief Talker
LCSW
Staycationing. In Covid we have been home almost continuously for eighteen months. It seems unbelievable saying that. We used to be travelers at every opportunity. So, what does this landlocked therapist do?
I try really hard to turn off the phone and computer- although writing for me is a lot of fun. I have discovered gardening, and I personally love time with my Oodles. We rescue antique poodles from a local shelter. They call us and say “we have one who is sick/deaf/nearly blind/very old.” We roll and adopt.
When it’s time off but not away the Oodles are my entertainment. Dug, the new dude, is 35 pounds of collapsing trachea and cough who has learned to play fetch, loves his pink squeaky pig, and steals apples. Fred goes swimming (even without permission) and races when we do laps (he wins). Dolly howls like an air raid siren if she can’t find me (and she is deaf and almost blind. I think she calls me “legs”). I now have a hard time imagining time away from them!
What do you do to staycation or holiday at home? I’d love some more ideas, cos I have a feeling this might be something I need to get better at.
