I’ll start this entry off by acknowledging how incredibly privileged we are to be able to take a career break and walk away from our working lives for an extended period. Most people do not have the financial capital to allow for a year or more of financial runway (i.e. being financially capable of surviving a year or more without active income). I am happy to devote time in this blog to provide suggestions and resources on how this could be possible for you (hint hint: passive income is your ticket), but I recognize that an extended period away from active income is not going to be a reality for everyone.
That said friends, can we agree that adulting is hard? Paying those bills, managing your finances, getting your kids off to school, maintaining a house (or as some would say, a “money pit”) and dealing with all the things that, fortunately, we are not thoroughly informed about as children, like death, taxes, elder care, chronic illness, job loss, oh boy, good stuff. In our 30s and 40s, things get real, don’t they? Conversations over drinks shift from subjects linked to pleasure (great restaurants, cool bars, the new hit album) to ones such as good mortgage rates, tax-shielding investment vehicles, contractors you’d recommend for roof repair. Ugh.
For me personally, over time this is a lot, not to mention the onslaught of more significant life events for which no one has the proper coping skills. On top of our day-to-day adulting, we all typically carry some extra baggage in the form of employment-related stress. For some of us, this means long hours, stress-inducing conversations and hard-to-achieve deadlines. For others, it’s a lengthy and frustrating commute, only to countdown the minutes until the cycle can be repeated. Whether you are completely burnt out, languishing or have had to cope with more than an average human should be expected to deal with in a short period of time, chances are you too need a break.
As mentioned in my acknowledgement above, not everyone can take a year plus to live their fantasy life, but some of you may have an opportunity for a shorter time away. Perhaps your employer would consent to grouping all your vacation days into one block. Or could you reduce your hours for a period of time or work remotely to save precious time on your commute? Whether you can get a long weekend, a month or two or a full year, I highly recommend taking a break from your day-to-day and truly using the time wisely.
So let’s say you can make this happen financially, with your employer and your family on board (lots of “ifs”, I know), how could you use your time? Here are my best practices for deriving the most benefit from your break, however long it may be:
- Reduce your cell phone usage and screen time – Unsubscribe from all the email lists you don’t read or shouldn’t, disable any distracting apps and the vast majority of push notifications on your phone. Leave your phone at home while outdoors or shut off your data for extended periods, so you can only access downloadable content: books, music, etc. Do you really need to be on the laptop or tablet or can you get a true digital break?
- Get your butt outdoors – It’s well-known that spending time in nature is a great way to lower stress, but did you know that 20-30 minutes is all it takes to significantly drop your cortisol levels. Find a beach, a park, a garden, a nature walk and get out there!
- Develop a reading list – I asked for book recommendations from friends, but you can also check our Goodreads for ideas. There is also so much worthy content in non-fiction books, particularly in the self-help, personal development or personal finance category. Plan to oscillate between reading for fun and reading to learn something or develop yourself.
- Get creative – If you have a creative hobby which is easily transported (drawing, writing, photography, etc), what a great opportunity to get creative and practise your craft.
- Take 5 minutes or more daily for silence or meditation – Your best option is to do this in the morning when it’s quiet, which will start you off to a more peaceful day. There are a ton of free guided meditations on YouTube or via meditation apps if you are new to meditation, but simply sitting in silence, taking breaths that raise your belly and focusing on your breathing will do the trick.
- Do one thing for yourself each day – This is the icing on the cake. Your dolce vita needs some self-indulgence, right? Perhaps you dance to your favourite tune, you take a relaxing bubble bath, you sip a great beverage gazing at nature. Seriously, it can be anything you don’t get to do in your regular day-to-day grind. Treat yo’ self!