Taking time off

I’ve taken time off everything this last week and been away with the family and it’s been a much needed change. 

When you work part time, it’s easy to think non-work days are enough to rest and recharge but of course they’re not. I choose to work part time, so I can also teach yoga in the week, which means my non-work days aren’t really that. I am working, it’s just different work! Following the advice of a friend I’m now trying to refer to these days as non-office or non-contracted days to recognise both to myself and others that I still need to be mindful of the mental and emotional energy I’m expending.

This week has been different. I’ve been walking and cycling - and it’s been a long time since I last rode a bike! I’ve pootled around on a lake in the sunshine. I’ve enjoyed the forest air, the greenery and the rain. I’ve been geocaching - where you have a list of coordinates to find a number of checkpoints in competition with other teams. Even though we hadn’t intended being competitive about it and weren’t racing round, somehow we got sucked in - a great 2 hours!

What it’s brought home is how little time I’ve spent outdoors lately and how important it is to me. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the day to day and not to take the time to stop and breathe. Even living in the suburbs of a city there’s space for me to go and get out into the fresh air. This week has been a bit of a reminder that yes, it’s important to take time out on holiday but it’s also important to make time within work days rather than waiting for a break. I’ve another week away, this time at the seaside so when I return to work I should be super-refreshed. The challenge I’ll be setting myself is what do I want to take from my holiday into the day to day so I can be my best self?