For fear of this sounding like I’m writing a school essay about what I did on my holidays! It’s important to recognise the importance of taking time off work and making time to rest for our wellbeing.
Here at huunuu we mostly work from home, so it can be difficult for us to always remember to take a break, me especially! And yet it begins to creep up on you. You begin to notice that you are a little more tired, becoming entrenched in your work and not looking away from your screen, or perhaps you realise that it’s been three months since you last had some annual leave. More often than not the latter is the category I fall into.
And so, I take time, and about midway through my week I begin to realise how much I needed to slow my mind and in my case move a bit more, get out a bit more, feed my passions a bit more. I had missed a midweek surf and swims in our chilly sea pool in the daytime. I had so missed the power of a good bookshop and losing myself in unexplored books full of new worlds. I consciously took the time to do something creative – painting a new picture and experimenting with my new old-school Polaroid camera. I’m a creative and I allowed myself to be absorbed in others’ works and went to some great exhibitions which left me feeling inspired. And that is the key word – allowed.
If you are a bit like me and pride yourself on getting things done, in work and for others and you like to be making exciting plans… and carrying them out! Allowing yourself time purely for you to reset can seem weirdly unnerving and not always comfortable. And yet, about midweek you realise you really needed it. For someone who creates wellbeing products and content, it should be second nature, but it isn’t always.
The wellbeing benefits are numerous, a key one of these is not allowing burnout to creep up on you. We need to break our routines occasionally and mix it up, we need to sleep well, without thoughts of work keeping us awake, or allowing ourselves breakfast in bed with a movie (I watched BirdBox, Barcelona, terrifying!).
Continually working can lead to our focus slipping and whilst we may believe we are being productive, actually we could be in need of an injection of fresh ideas, or perspective and energy, which can only happen when we feel a little more rested.
Our bodies, physically benefit. It is always too easy to sit for hours hunched over a laptop (note to self!), putting ourselves at risk from repetitive strain and back and shoulder aches and pains. Maybe we don’t always drink enough (another note to self) because we become absorbed in a task. Quite simply when we work, we don’t always take the best physical care of ourselves. A break allows us to see this and understand ourselves a little bit more.
Clearing our minds off work and perhaps filling it with passions, art and books and the sea in my case, allows us to be in the moment, which is a key component to wellbeing. A clearer mind can help with our decision-making and better memory consolidation, allowing us to retain and learn new information.
We may also reignite with our passions which helps us to feel purposeful. There is time for self-reflection, helping you to understand where you are at and where you are going. Incidentally, this really helps your goal-setting skills! We may connect with friends and family, enriching our hearts and support networks, allowing us to feel more connected.
If you are supported by your employer and team to take breaks and holidays you begin to feel supported which helps with morale and a sense of team spirit. It really isn’t a luxury, it benefits everyone.
Email us at [email protected] to discover more wellbeing advice and how we can tailor sessions that are perfect for you and your teams.
