Cultivating a Vacation Mindset for Better Work / Life Harmony

We explore the idea of cultivating a vacation mindset throughout the year to achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life. There is energy around returning from vacation and transitioning back to reality. We are getting curious - can we maintain that vacation brain every day?
 
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Vacation Mindset : relaxed, carefree state of mind experienced during holidays, characterized by reduced stress and increased enjoyment.

Work-Life Harmony:  a more flowing integration of work and personal life.

Strategies to Cultivate a Vacation Mindset:

1. Venture outside the routine: Plan mini getaways, try new experiences, and be open to new things.
2. Admire nature's beauty: Appreciate the beauty of nature and reduce technology usage to be fully present in the moment.
3. Cultivate calmness: Incorporate relaxation and self-care practices into daily routines to create calm spaces to unwind and recharge.
4. Adventure and explore: Embrace a sense of adventure, try new things, and practice mindfulness to stay present and appreciative of the current moment.
5. Take time to play: Prioritize self-care, spend time with loved ones, and engage in playful activities to nurture a positive and uplifting environment.
6. Indulge and rest: Allow yourself intentional relaxation and indulgence in much-needed rest.
7. Open up to wonder: Embrace a flexible and optimistic mindset, find solutions rather than dwelling on problems, and be curious about what is possible.
8. Nurture positive vibes: Surround yourself with positive influences, cultivate gratitude, and create a positive environment that aligns with your values.

Our DTY HIGHLIGHT:  Elena Prendergast, DNP, MSN/FNP Owner, Professional Quality of Life Navigator/Independent Patient Advocate at Tree of Life Health Consultant, LLC 

Conclusion:

• Incorporate these strategies to cultivate a vacation mindset throughout the year.
• Be intentional about finding balan

Transcript

0:59

Welcome back. I am excited to talk to you today about vacation because it's summer and We tend to think of vacation in the summer, or at least that vacation mindset. And last week in my coaching group, A couple of my clients and then returning from travel and we're sharing what that looked like. And the statement was made about it's time to get back to reality. So moving from that vacation mindset to reality It's back to reality. It's back to work. and there's a anticipation that even when going on vacation, that you're going to have a different mindset and a different experience. And I got curious about the energy around that and what that vacation mindset would look like. Or could we have that vacation brain every day? And we explored that question. Could we, or should we have a vacation mindset? And what could we bring from that experience to make our life a little bit more of a flow?'cause I think you all know too, as you probably experienced vacations, that weren't as restful or weren't as relaxing as you had hoped in the beginning. Maybe you spent the whole week trying to let go of. Some of the stressors and the everyday life. And it wasn't until the very last day of your vacation that you were able to really relax and unwind, and then it was time to go back. That back and forth even shows up in our week patterns. Our culture tends to celebrate. Fridays. even this week I had a, how are you exchange in the hallway? And I was standing right outside a patient's, doorway. How are you? Fabulous. How are you? I'm good. It's Friday. And even my patients said, we can do anything on Friday. Everything is better on Fridays. And that just makes me wonder why. So like really looking at what is in our thoughts and in our mindset that makes Friday is better than any other day, because I know that this Friday was a busy. Friday. So it wasn't that we were working less hours or we had less to do. then in healthcare, a lot of us don't even have Saturdays off. but still Fridays are days to celebrate. So how can we take that mindset? Into every day. Could we, should we I challenged my group two. Explore this week, what the differences really are and what we could bring to create that work-life balance. Now I tend to like the term work-life harmony better because it portrays a little bit more flow. And I think balance tends to speak to our schedule. And I'm not sure that's something that we can ever accomplish. And depending on what your values are, you might read. Really enjoy spending more hours working than maybe playing. we tend to compartmentalize all of those areas of our lives. And then if you think about how much time you spend at work. Time can't be always the measure. So I'm not sure. About balance as much as I think about it as like work life harmony. So how can we bring all of that in? So our life flows In a way that serves us now, vacation brain or vacation mindset refers to that relaxed, carefree state of mind. That many people experience while on vacation, it's a mental state characterized by reduced stress and increased enjoyment. And a sense of being disconnected from daily pressures and work and routine responsibilities. Now, when we impact that in our group, The word or the idea of expectations also came up. So we went in to look at that as well when we're exploring all of this, but during vacations we tend to be more open to new experiences, sometimes more present in the moment. Hopefully. And more focused on self care and leisure activities. More we're more apt to prioritize fun. Now the very definition of vacation typically refers to a period of time. When we take a break from that regular work or routine responsibilities. lot of times that will involve travel, but it also can involve staying home and maybe. Getting some of the projects done that we call those staycations. And taking even short getaways to nearby places can be something that we do on vacation. No. We may not be able to be on vacation every day And maybe even having a vacation mindset all year long might not be possible in the exact same way as being on vacation. I'm actually really not sure that, like I said, could we, should we not even sure that should be the goal because despite what we think sometimes. days of hard work and be under pressure is also very good for us too. We are made to produce meaningful work. so when we talk about work-life balance, It should not necessarily be that we just want to reduce time worked and increase the time we play. Although, I think that's sometimes how we think about it and that's why I like harmony because it creates that flow. Not it starts and stops based on our activity or based on the weekday or weekend mindset or real life and vacation life. What I'm proposing is to create a little more flow so that All of it serves us and feeds into our values and our purpose and our goals for what we really want and how we want to show up. As our extraordinary selves. How we want to create. a quality of life. Which is not something that is going to look the same for everyone. So what does it look like when I default to yes and live my extraordinary life is taking all of my knowledge experiences and not letting them go to waste, but actually using them to be a better part of myself. Something reaching beyond something that's greater things that I can't even imagine and impacting the world around me. So for me in particular, it's believing that all of the tears that I've shed, they weren't wasted, but they can be used for someone else's benefit. It looks like traveling the world. And being able to spread this message of hope and that quality of life should be the driving force of our lives. It's why we buy the houses we buy, the cars we drive, why we choose the careers we do, why we even wear the shoes we wear. It's all that pursuit for quality of life and that quality of life. Pursuit changes, depending on our age, whatever stage we're in. And I think for me, giving patients and clients that. Potential to say that quality of life needs to be defined and then to be able to pursue it. However, that looks for them. I can't define that for them. I can just help them define that and then taking my own advice and actually defining and pursuing quality of life for myself. And I don't even know what that looks like, honestly, because I think living my extraordinary life is finally realizing that I don't have to live in a box. And not letting that box define what my life is going to look like. That's what it looks like when I default to yes. I love that. I love hearing from nurses. I'd love hearing from anyone on what that looks like For your extraordinary self. Because as we know that doesn't look the same for all of us, We can be doing very different things and that can be our extraordinary selves. So I love that. And thank you Elena, for just bringing that forward and reminding us too, that, that quality of life means sometimes stepping outside of the box. The stepping outside of some of those expectations or those things that we think. is required of us or what maybe even everyone else is doing. And be able to embrace what it looks like for us. So thank you for that. That was beautiful. hopefully you'll get to hear more from Elena. The future. I can have her on as a guest and she can tell you a little bit more. About what it looks like as she helps her clients and patients creates that quality of life and what she ends up defining as hers. Okay. Years ago when Jean and I were church planting. Our coach shared with us the importance of incorporating a routine self care. When you are doing something new and learning something, you're always on. Those are the times when it's most important. we were being reminded that it's that because what was required of us to to do this work was to be always on. We were always trying to think of the next thing we need to do. We were always with people. It was just Something to be intentional about because especially when you're doing something that you love, it's easy to let some of the habits and the things that actually that will help you sustain that. It's easy to let some of those go and forget about some of the things until they start showing up in other ways in your health and your overall wellbeing. which is also why it's important to track those things. So it's why I said I've used the growth day app because you can track all of those things and make sure that you're staying balanced. incorporating a routine self care fits well. Here. Into any effort that we make to enhance work-life harmony and activating that vacation brain. What he shared with us was the routine of daily divert weekly withdraw monthly, maintain an annually abandoned. And that can, is just a structured and balanced approach to managing those various aspects of your life. So just a little bit about what each one of those looks, what each one of those might look like. So daily divert that just refers to incorporating daily activities that allow you to divert your attention from routine stresses and responsibilities. And that those are just building in some activities that bring enjoyment and relaxation and that sense of escape. So taking a short walk during a lunch break, or clearing your mind. I think a lot of us. If you want to see, like how you do this, you already probably do this. If you carry a phone, because I think social media has become a daily divert. We have Amazon, we have our technology right in our pocket. So when things, when you want to just a little diversion, I see a lot of people use their phones And look at memes or YouTube videos or shop And this is also why I've been a advocate in the workplace to not take internet access away from employees because we need those little breaks. And we can learn how to make those productive. So again, taking a short walk. being intentional about spending time on a creative hobby or reading a book before bedtime. Practicing meditation and mindfulness. which is a quick and great way to, and productive way to divert in a way that also spills out into the rest of your day. So weekly withdraw. That's a, that involves that taking a more extended period, like a day or even an just an afternoon, each week to withdraw from your regular schedule and focus on rest and rejuvenation. A lot of people observe Sabbath for this reason. I'm a big fan of that practice. I'm not tied to what day that happens on. So if it happens on Saturday or Sunday, Designating that day. For creating sacred space for yourself To engage in self care activities. Do you spend some time connecting with others? Taking a long nature walk or this would be the day to go to the spot if that's what you do. But just reconnecting. And creating that sacred space to feed your soul. Monthly maintain refers to just dedicating that special. Maybe a couple of days. This might be a whole weekend each month to maintain and organize various aspects of your life, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. This would be the time to declutter a space in your home. Review your finances and budget, taking care of. Any medical appointments or scheduling important meetings or catching up with friends and family. And then annually abandoned, involves letting go of those third things. Habits, commitments that are no longer serving you. At aligning your goals and values. To make space or make a room. For new opportunities and growth. So this would be something that. You could make this your vacation time. But being intentional before that vacation time to plan those resets. so this could look like. Taking time at the end of the year to review your goals and achievements, reassessing your priorities, letting go of negative relationships or unfulfilling activities. And making plans for the upcoming year. This could be your vacation time. applying a little bit more intentionality to that so that when you come back, it's not a stop and start. You took a vacation, you had a purpose, you reset, and then you move, you flow right back into reality. So to speak. And that all can become the reality. Then if you've used that vacation, I'm sure you've all had vacations where you spent the whole time just rushing around, maybe doing all the fun things or doing family things, whatever that looked like. And it wasn't until the, maybe the very last day. When you started to unwind or. You came back from your vacation. And Actually probably said or thought. I'll now I need a vacation from my vacation. So to avoid that we can be intentional by really Determining the purpose of that time and setting intentions for that time so when we transitioned back into our normal responsibilities, Then we can embrace that mindset and that flow. Now, what about Bob is one of my very favorite movies and talking about vacation comes to, brings to mind. There's a scene between Dr. Mervin and Bob. If you haven't seen the movie. it's an old one. Dr. Marvin is a successful, but you go to Stickle psychiatrist and Bob Wiley. Who's his new patient. he meets with Bob right before he goes on vacation. And this is not okay with Bob because Bob is ready to go to work with Dr. Berman. And Bob. Follows Dr. Mervin to his vacation spot and ends up. In an interaction with him where Dr. Mervin meets with him and gives him a prescription and he doesn't mind more medications. And he looks at the prescription and Dr. Mervin has written take a vacation from your problems. And he gives us Ababa and says, I want you to follow these instructions. To the letter. Bob takes the prescription. He reads it. And he seems accepting of it. And Dr. Marvin says, okay, I'll see you back in New York. And Dr. Mervyn's intention go back to vacation with his family and whatever that looks like for him to rest and relax and not have anything to do with work. But Bob has fixated on. getting more attention and to maintain his connection to Dr. Marvin during his vacation. So despite his attempts to convince Bob that he will be fine. And should enjoy his own vacation. Bob clings to Dr. Mervin, and he refuses to let go of that therapeutic relationship. That's a comical situation. You get highlights the contrast between the vacation mindset of Dr. Mervin. Who seeks that relaxation and break from his work and Bob's intense need for constant support and guidance. Now the scene exemplifies the challenge of achieving vacation mindset. When we have the anxieties or attachments. that prevent us from truly unwinding and enjoying our leisure time. and it also explores the idea that even in the midst of vacation, our mental and emotional states can sometimes disrupt the carefree experience that we desire. At one point. Bob shows up after He gets his prescription. He shows up at doctor. Marvins house again. Wearing a shirt that says don't hassle me. I'm local. he's going to maintain this connection to his doctor, even when he's on vacation. So the thing is, if we have it already built into our day to day, This routine of the daily divert, weekly withdraw monthly maintain the annual abandoned. And our actual vacation time away from our normal responsibilities, having the mindset already built into our day to day. Is going to make all of that more meaningful and effective. So I think we can incorporate elements of a vacation mindset into our daily routines. To be able to maintain. More harmony and that balance of positive outlook. So I came up with some strategies to help us cultivate a vacation mindset throughout the year. And my coaching group meets on Mondays and I'm releasing this on Monday morning. So I might even come back with more. For insights. Maybe I should have waited for that follow-up conversation, but regardless, I came up with some of these strategies, I'm going to share them, with you, and then you can go on this little experiment. Also, So here it is V for vacation or V for venture outside the routine. You want to escape the mundane and venture into new experiences. Plan those mini getaways. Even if you can't take long vacations, all the time plan short weekend getaway is or day trips. To break up your routine and experience new places and activities. Be open to new experiences, embrace opportunity is try new things. Whether it's a new hobby or Trying new foods, or attending cultural events in your community. And not deciding that you don't like this particular thing, especially if you haven't tried it. just get curious and venture outside your routine. All right. A is for admire nature's beauty. We are surrounded by beauty out in nature. I know that. And even in my own backyard, I have these beautiful flowers that are blooming and I can go out there and just take it in. Yesterday I actually picked some of her Duran does and put them in a vase and sat out there and had my coffee and did some mindfulness on the porch. Just admiring that, taking in the view of my backyard and. Every once in awhile, some deer will run across or you'll see some wildlife. So taking time to appreciate it, notice it. This is also where we can put some intentional limits of technology use in place. So while technology can be really helpful. It's essential to set limits on our screen time to prevent that constant distraction and allow yourself to fully engage in the world around you. That said there's video of a wave on my website. It's a beach scene. And I pulled it up to show somebody how to access the coaching group. And I noticed it since then I've taken the button off and the words off of it, and I just left it at the bottom so that I could pull it up any time I wanted to, and just use it as my, little mindful break. It's a re-imagined wellness.org forward slash coaching group. If you scroll all the way to the bottom, it should fill the whole screen so that you can just look at it and just be there. All right. So that is a way to admire nature's beauty. maybe take pictures of it. You could put it on your screen and you're reminded of that beauty. But certainly preferably you'll get outside and actually notice it. Without the help of technology. C is cultivate calmness. You want to create those columns spaces to unwind and find that inner peace. Incorporate relaxation and self-care practices into your daily routine. And this can include meditation. Exercise hobbies, or simply taking time for yourself each day to unwind and recharge, establish some clear boundaries between work and personal time. I like to establish even rituals for transition rituals, where you could just do a meditation that involves releasing or resetting You can do that in your car. Just take some deep breaths and say to yourself, release really is thrilly or reset or whatever the word is. That's going to remind you to ground yourself, to reset as you transition from one to another so that you don't bring energy or extra energy into the home that you don't mean to. Or the other way around when you're coming into work, you don't bring that energy that you have. Maybe from a hectic morning. To bring that in. So just really being mindful about those transitions between activities. Avoid checking work emails at home or taking work-related calls during your off hours and give yourself a true break from job related stress. I use time blocking for this. If you're an entrepreneur and you're running your own show. Use some time blocking and create those transition rituals in between. I have a. Diffuser that sits next to my coffee pot, and it automatically puts a burst of essential oils into the air. So I will go fix. A cup of coffee or a cup of tea, and I get that burst of essential oils. And then I can take a deep breath and that's all it takes. So you're doing something that I would normally do anyway. And just being intentional and making that a time to cultivate calmness. A is for adventure and explore. Allow yourself to be adventurous and explore new territories. Try new foods, color. Read a book, be a tourist in your own town. I wasn't sure where place this. So because it's probably going to come up every category because mindfulness practice can be, all of these can be adventure. It could be calm rest. But practice mindfulness as a way to be adventurous and explore. That means to notice, engage in mindfulness exercise, to stay present and appreciate the current moment. And you can put that on anything you can mindfully eat. You can mindfully drive. You can mindfully. Socialize. So there are all sorts of ways to practice mindfulness that will help you save for those small pleasures in life and reduce stress. The T is for, to take time to play, take breaks for playful activities and let your inner child out. Prioritize self care, incorporate relaxation and self-care practices into your daily routine. And this can again include meditation and the exercise and hobbies. And you see how some of the, a lot of these things overlap, but simply taking time for yourself each day to unwind and recharge and do something fun. dance in your kitchen, dance in your living room. Connect with loved ones, spend quality time with family and friends and create those meaningful connections and memories together. And this is where those social connections can really improve your mindset and your. And boost your mood. Also contributing to overall health and wellness. I is for indulge and rest, intentionally relaxing and indulging and much needed rest. And this might just be as simple as going to bed on time. And not staying up late to get that one thing done. simply taking time for yourself can look different for everyone. Whatever it is that feeds your soul and allows you to unwind and recharge. The O in vacation. Is open up to wonder, open your heart and mind to wonders of the present. Embrace a flexible mindset. So you can approach challenges with flexible and optimistic attitude. Now. I am never one to promote overly optimistic because I like that blend of realistic as well. But focusing on finding solutions is what I'm talking about rather than dwelling on the problems. Now I say that, but my, one of my favorite questions to ask any time that there is a problem. Is to really say, what is the problem that we're fixing? Cause a lot of times there's a problem. And we don't take time to really find the root cause. so we get quick solutions and we fix things that didn't need to be fixed. And I see that mostly in relationships and definitely in the workplace is that we forget to really look at the root cause when we find that. So this is what I mean, like open, up to wonder. If you're experiencing some conflict or you're experiencing some resistance. Wonder what The problem actually is define it before you find the solution and then go looking for a solution. Because a lot of times where we S we, we quickly analyze the problem, or we think that the surface is the problem, or this person is the problem, or this one incident is the problem. We fix that and we don't fix the actual thing that's going on. So when challenges arise. When you start to feel pressure from expectations, ask yourself too. Where is this coming from? Really? What is the problem? And then what does this make possible? That's a fun way to wonder and be curious. About how you can improve the flow. It may be a good time to evaluate those boundaries as well. Or those self-imposed expectations that are putting so much pressure on you. And making real life separate from vacation or have a conversation with someone. go meet someone new, or have a conversation with someone that you maybe haven't had a conversation with in a while. Maybe have a conversation with somebody who will have a different perspective. N nurture positive vibes. You want to surround yourself with positive and uplifting influence. Create that positive and very environment. Create space for. Aligning with your values and setting intentions, surround yourself with things that bring you joy and relaxation, like plants and art and music, inspiring books. Cultivate gratitude, taking time each day to acknowledge and appreciate the positive aspects of your life. And keeping a gratitude journal, especially can help you focus on the good and reduce feelings of stress and dissatisfaction. If you're having troubles incorporating any of these things or knowing what you want or knowing what you're really thinking. Journaling as the way to do it. Journaling or writing. You don't have to have a fancy journal. You just piece of paper is fine. But writing is a really the best way to connect with yourself and know what it is. that you're really thinking and what it is that you're really processing. What's causing those feelings. All right. Remember a vacation mindset is all about finding balance and incorporating relaxation, novelty, and positive experiences into your every day life. Am I making small adjustments and being intentional about how we spend our time? We can create a more enjoyable and fulfilling year-round experience. We can create that space. By incorporating a routine of daily divert weekly, withdraw monthly, maintain an annual abandoned. We can create that balance and that harmony and approach to managing those various aspects of our lives. If you enjoy these tips, I'd love to hear from you About what you are creating. So just click the link below and send me a quick email. Let me know what it looks like for you to default to. Yes. And if you really enjoyed this, share it with your friends So that we can create a great big community of those who who get up every day and default. To yes. Subscribe add if there's something that you want to talk about. Let me know. Visit me at re-imagine wellness.org forward slash yes. Get on the list. I'd love to send you these episodes every Monday. And along with some extra resources tips an opportunity as they come up. Outside of the podcast. I would love to connect with you. All right. I hope that as you go throughout your week, You will venture outside your routine. Admire nature's beauty, cultivate calmness. Adventure and explore, take time to play indulgent, rest, open up to wonder. and nurture positive vibes. I hope that all of those things are helpful to you and as a way for you to frame and create that space Tapping into that vacation brain cultivating a vacation mindset. as you go out every day and default to your extraordinary self.