OK, if this is a Christmas blog in December, most of January is going to be about the trip of a lifetime, sorry not sorry.
Despite some intense personal stuff going on before I left and leaving work at a super busy time, I was able to (mostly) successfully unplug and compartmentalize a bit so that I could enjoy my vacation.
One of the times I talked to my mom, she remarked how relaxed I sounded.
Walking down the street in Airlie Beach, I was on the verge of happy tears and felt so lucky — that I was able financially (we booked everything separately and not at once, which REALLY helped as far as affording a huge trip like this) to be there, that work let me take this time (and I still carried over nearly three weeks vacation!) and that I was with one of my closest friends, and we understand each other well enough to travel really well together.
When I came back, I vowed I would hold on to that vacation high as well/as long as I possibly could. The jet lag of crossing 16 time zones on the way back definitely helped for the first few days…but after a stressful week back at work, here’s what I found helpful.
Unplugging When Possible
Without a doubt, one of the best parts about vacation was not having to check in with email. I took my work email off my phone (though I’ll admit I did pop into Slack a few times…) and put up an out of office on my gmail too. I did buy a SIM card in both Australia and New Zealand so my family could reach me if they had to, but I tried hard to conserve data, and oh yeah, I slept on a boat in the middle of the Whitsunday Islands for two nights, so I had nearly two full days with no service.
Now that I’m home, I’m trying really hard to capture that magical unplugging feeling. I’ve been putting my phone on airplane mode on runs and haven’t really been wearing my Apple Watch. I love it to death, I truly do, but attaching myself further to technology definitely doesn’t contribute to anxiety at all, nope.
Chilling on the Tracking
Speaking of. The one time I ran on vacation (also at Airlie Beach, see above), I came back and Meg asked how much I’d run. “I don’t know? I didn’t track it.” “WHOA, are you ok?”
No need to torture myself running — on vacation or…ever? Having struggled running last year, I honestly and truly really appreciate any run right now. And as much as I love seeing stats on my Apple Watch of how many calories I’ve burned, I know I can certainly get a little obsessive over it.
Look at Vacation Pictures
Oh look, here’s me and some sheep.
But, reliving those memories puts me back in that mentality, even if just a bit.
Vacation Browsing
OK, can we all agree that planning is half the fun of a vacation? Studies even prove this happiness bump! So, while I’m not in a position yet, on multiple levels, to actually plan my next trip, doesn’t mean I can’t daydream!
Looking for Something Good in Every Day
I should also do this …all the time! But every day, I’m looking for something good, something that will make me happy or I can look forward to. Today: I took an amazing class at Yoga Vida (the instructor was Kajuan Douglas, whom I HIGHLY recommend!) with a few blogger buddies followed by brunch at Union Fare.
Tomorrow: I have an NYJL event, and I have a medium amount of stuff scheduled next week.
Until I book that next trip…
