Finding Balance: A Journey of Self-Care and Disconnect

I often emphasize the importance of self-care to others, however I often fail to allow opportunities for self care for myself, however this past two weeks during my vacation to New Zealand I was able to find time to relax and renew . My husband and I traveled from Canada to visit our son Logan and his partner Christian and Christians parents. This experience turned out to be a time to relax, renew but also a time for reflection.

Before embarking on this journey, I had been showing signs of burnout and I realized the necessity of taking time for myself. The breathtaking landscapes of New Zealand and  time with my husband and with my son (whom I hadn't seen in 18 months), his partner and his welcoming family proved to be the perfect remedy.

As many of you know in my "day job" I work as a health and safety professional,  it was this work that I intended to fully disconnect during my time away, however the temptation to check my emails lingered. Although I had set my mind to a full disconnect from my "day job" I  found myself dipping into my outlook once a day due to a fear of returning to hundredsof emails.

Prior to embarking on my holiday I thought I had set myself up for success, actions I took were 1) updated my team on any pertinent information 2) assigned a competent person to lead my team in my absence and communicated this assignment 3) provided my team with clear objectives with action plans during my time away.  Although I felt I set my team up for success, on reflection I had failed to establish a foolproof strategy for managing MY email load. The following is a draft goal setting plan I will fine tune and apply for my next attempt at disconnecting.

Setting Clear Goals

GOAL: Achieve full "disconnect"  from work.

To accomplish this, it's crucial to understand why I felt compelled to check my email during this trip. Upon reflection, the root cause of my stress was knowing I would return to a flood of emails which would overwhelm me, causing me to have mental paralysis, which would likely lead to me struggling to manage my time and move vital tasks forward, essentially causing a ripple effect. With this in mind I have drafted some strategies I can fine tune and trial over the Easter break, adjust and yuen apply over my next exteneded holiday.

Strategies for Unplugging:

1. Outlook "Rules":

Set up automated rules in Outlook to organize incoming emails. This will allow for a quick review upon my return, focusing on essential items.

2. Enhanced Out-of-Office Message:

Craft a more detailed out-of-office email message. Specify that emails requiring action upon my return should have a distinct subject line like "For Action." This simple instruction can streamline my post-vacation workload.

3. Workload management:

Create a document for my team to record information that I need to know during my leave, organized by topic and actions needed on my part, with instruction to use this document in place of copying me on emails. this may reduce the number of emails I am "cc'd" on.

3. Evaluation and Planning:

To ensure the success of my disconnect goal, I plan to evaluate these options further, document a detailed plan, and take concrete actions. Creating a mechanism for accountability is crucial. Perhaps I'll enlist a friend or colleague to remind me of my commitment or set up a reward system for sticking to my unplugging strategy.

In conclusion, my New Zealand adventure has taught me that self-care isn't just a concept to preach; it's a vital practice for a balanced and fulfilling life. By setting clear goals, evaluating strategies, and planning effectively, I am confident that my next vacation will be a true escape, allowing me to return to work refreshed and ready to tackle any challenges.