Undie-FinedI took a much needed vacation last month. With the 4th of July holiday and the following weekend included, I had a full 11 days away from work. Of the 11 days, seven were spent in Montego Bay. It was one of the longest vacations I’ve been on. My version of self-care is getting away. Even if I only leave for a day or two, the change of atmosphere always recharges my energy. The hardest thing for me when I’m home is finding my focus amid the chaos of life. Before departing, my goals quickly became to disconnect from social media as much as possible and to reflect on creating a better space for myself among a stressful work environment.
Disconnecting was most important to me because I needed to be away while I was away. I didn’t want to feel like I was home in the same routine. I wanted to soak into my experience abroad. My husband and I would eat breakfast, then take about a half-hour to get our pictures. After that, I’d leave my phone in the room for the rest of the day. All I can say is social media addiction is very real. So many things are missed by the loss of human interaction. It was refreshing that hardly anyone was on their phones. We met so many people just hanging out on the beach and the pool. I doubt we would have had that experience anywhere else.
Reflection was also important for me because I find myself getting drained from work. So much so that I’m often unproductive and even reclusive in life outside of work. I needed time to figure out the best way to create more of a work/life balance. It doesn’t help that I live in a dead zone that lacks any inspiration. I needed to figure out how I can regain the drive I had when I was in college and harness that into the creativity necessary to be a successful designer. It was also a plus that we took a beach vacation and my specialty is swimwear.
I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to get away for a little bit. I made the decision while I was gone to find more things I enjoy on a smaller scale to make the time between work hours more valuable. My favorite thing is being near water. So I’m making it a priority to have more pool days. I cannot stress how important it is to disconnect from your smartphone. The amazing thing about social media is that nothing ever really goes away. As a result, even if you log off for a day (or six), you’ll see everything you “missed” tomorrow. The same can’t be said for real life. If you can, please take any time you need to rest, relax, and disconnect.
Side note: If you ever have the opportunity to stay at an all-inclusive resort, I highly recommend it. Knowing that food and drink was already included in the price took the majority of the frustration out of traveling. I’ll discuss my experience more in another post!
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