On vacation ? Tips to relax and disconnect !

As an entrepreneur, taking a break might be stressful. You might feel guilty, thinking that you should work more instead of taking a vacation… but here you are ! Whether you’re going on a trip somewhere or not, you’re on vacation or you’re going to be soon and… well, what now ?

A few weeks ago, I got a sudden notification email from my main client, saying that there would be nothing to do for a few weeks as they were going to be on holidays. I had dedicated most of my time to them for the past few months and it was too late to find new clients to fill the void (summer time is not the best time for new missions, and finding good clients takes even more time) so… I got kind of forced to take a break too.

Not that I was going to do nothing, of course, an entrepreneur always has stuff to do, but still.

And just like you can feel guilty for taking a vacation… you can feel guilty for not being able to fully enjoy said vacation. This is why I’m posting this article today !

Of course, everyone has different interests and ways of relaxing and enjoying life, so the following list might not match with you, but see it as a list of suggestions, things you can pick and try, or just a bunch of ideas when you don’t know what to do. Here we go !

• Cook something you love. Whether it’s a fancy dish or just cookies, indulge yourself and make something delicious ! The other day I discovered that I could do banana pancakes with just 3 ingredients and since then I’m addicted haha !
• Exercise and feel healthy. You don’t need to run a marathon, just 30 minutes per day of physical activity is enough to feel refreshed and ready to take over the world ! For people who are not really into sports like me, I’d recommend dance workouts available for free on Youtube. I love doing Pamela Reif’s.
• Watch those tv series and movies you didn’t have the time to watch ! When you have a lot of work, it’s not always easy to sneak some Netflix time in your schedule… well, here’s your chance ! I love Korean tv series, and Netflix France has a lot of them now, but one episode is like one-hour long and it’s pretty addicting so I have to choose carefully the time where I start one… perfect to binge-watch during a vacation !
• Sleep in for once. You’re used to wake up early for work, and keeping your sleeping pattern is important but wouldn’t it be since to sleep in ? Just like when you were a teenager and could sleep until lunch, take the time to enjoy sleeping while you can.
• Take a walk outside, get closer to nature and feel the connection. If you’re lucky enough to be able to go into a forest or a nice park, just go ! Walking among trees has a relaxing effect on the body, it has been proven.
• Go somewhere new, whether it’s a day trip to another city or just trying a new restaurant or coffeeshop ! Even if you want to save money, a trip to a new coffeeshop won’t cost you much, so no excuse ! It’s always nice to discover new places, let yourself roam free !
• Take care of your body, do a face mask, take a bubble bath… anything that makes you feel good, all clean and relaxed !
• Spend time with your loved ones, and take the time to be with them for real. Put your phone on silent mode, take the time to talk to them and appreciate the time together. Maybe offer to do some activity together, things you don’t usually have time to do when you work.
• Clean your place, tidy your room, try organizing things in a new way ! It might suck at first, but once you’re done, it’s just so satisfying. Decorating is nice too. Making your space all clean, tidy and pretty is a great feeling, quite rewarding. And after all, you deserve to have a clean, tidy and pretty place !
• Journal, write down your thoughts, the feelings you’ve felt during the day, what you did… find the good and the bad in each day, and be proud for completing another day. Writing is very therapeutic and can help you feel more at peace.
• Draw, paint, do something creative. When we were kids, we would always have a creative activity ready for us, right ? Even if it was just a piece of paper and some coloured pencils. Time to let your inner child have fun ! Art doesn’t have to be pretty, just express yourself !
• Print some pictures, whether it’s to put on your wall, or to make an album. I always find it nice to go down memory lane by taking a look at a few pictures. I take a look at these happy memories and promise yourself I will make many more !
• Read these books you’ve been piling up ! Buying books and reading books are two different hobbies. If you’re like me, you always have a stack of books you didn’t read yet. Let’s go on a new adventure in-between the pages of a book !
• Make a playlist and sing as if there were no tomorrow ! Extra points if you dance too. Actually, you should definitely dance too.

And here are a few warnings :

• Leave your computer behind, don’t check your emails, don’t even go on Linkedin. You don’t need to stay updated on what’s going on, you can check that when you’ll come back to work. Trust me, it can wait. Remember, your brain needs to forget about work in order to enjoy being on vacation !
• Don’t answer your phone if it’s work related : you can call back later.
• Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media. I know it might be hard if you have an online content strategy for your company, but try to reduce it as much as possible. Schedule your posts in advance, or just go there to post and then leave. Post less. Slow down.

Ready to enjoy your vacation ? I hope so ! Feel free to let me know if there are other things that help you relax when you’re taking time off work.

Have a beautiful day, and I’ll see you next Wednesday !

Marie.