Mental Moment-Vacation
I am on vacation this week. Why am I telling you this? I want to talk about the importance of vacation for elite performers.
Balance & relaxation
First and foremost vacations give your body the much needed rest it deserves. Our bodies were not meant to go 24/7 and when we do burnout tends to happen. We get tired, cranky, unable to deal with stress and anxiety or even simple everyday tasks. I would say that all of the elite performers I work with have had to deal with burnout at some level and I am sure they’d all agree that it’s not a good feeling.
When I used to be a personal trainer and triathlon coach I could never say enough about taking a day off to allow the body to handle all the stress its under during training conditions. This time allows the brain and body an opportunity to grow, regenerate, renew and become refreshed again. Call it a mini vacation.
Listening to your body
Sometimes people need to take more than one day off and this is ok. This takes an innate ability to listen to what your body is saying, trust yourself and to do the right thing. As an elite performer it’s important for you to get to know your body: what works, what doesn’t work and why. It’s helpful to know when your body needs a break or needs food or water or sleep. Even when you hear your body talking how many times has your mind taken over and said no, just keep going. That can be several things: guilt, anxiety, fear, etc. but once you can find a way to synchronize your mind and body you realize the benefits of listening to your body.
Even when you become really good at listening to your body and at doing what it needs you still need to schedule a vacation. You don’t have to vacation for an extended period of time. It can be 3, 4,5 days. Countries were people have a lot of vacation days are more productive, have less stress and anxiety, get sick less and feel happier.
Change in perspective
Another great thing about vacation is that if you are open to it you can learn new things about yourself and take that back into your regular, everyday life with you. While on vacation you have an opportunity to listen and hear information, maybe new information, in tangible and less than tangible ways. Some of what you learn is tangible. This makes it fairly simple to use when you return to your daily life. While others are much less tangible and more difficult to maintain. For example, while on vacation I was open to conversations about things I needed to look at or change for the growth of my business (tangible). I will use it. On the other hand I’ve had moments of nothingness and been able to be mindful of the moment, listening the sound of crashing waves realizing that I rarely neither sit in mindfulness or take the time to listen to crashing waves (smell the flowers, take in the sunset or enjoy a warm sunny day). This is not tangible and far less difficult to maintain in everyday life but as important. Why do you think that is? What lessons are in these less than tangible moments? How do they translate into what is tangible? I would love to hear your comments.
Vacation can provide many opportunities to impact your daily life in a positive way.
Happy fall!
Dr. Michelle
Photo credit: miamiok.com
