By IAO Coach Nicole Demma
As our summer holiday season unfolds it’s an appropriate time to have a conversation about the vacation mindset.
“I want to go back and do it all over.”
That’s what Eddie Money sings about, and it’s probably what most of us say after we return home from an incredible vacation and have to go back to reality.
The next line in the song, “But I can’t go back, I know,” is the inspiration for this article.
Vacation is Vacation
In past years while on the last few days of my annual girls’ trip, my mind would be consumed with how I could prolong the vacation. I would look up switching my flights, or figure out if I could feasibly work remotely for another week—anything that allowed me to stay in my bathing suit, sip margaritas and watch more sunrises and sunsets. For just a few more days.
I also realized that spending time trying to work out all of those changes was wasting the precious vacation time that I did have. When I should be relaxing and enjoying everything around me, I was instead, stressing myself out.
Fast forward to my 2022 girls’ trip.
I left for the trip with the mindset that I was going to relax and enjoy my friends, the weather, and everything else that we look forward to when we meet up as friends on this treasured vacation.
… I wasn’t going to worry about ways to prolong the trip.
… I wasn’t going to wish to myself repeatedly, “if I could just work remotely.”
Sure, the thoughts crept in, after a day of laying in the sun, having a few drinks, going for relaxing walks, and watching the sunrise and sunset. At least they tried to.
But it was different this time.
I didn’t allow those thoughts to consume me or take up any space for much time.
I had so many laughs with my friends and I enjoyed every single minute of every single day. I lived in the moment. I didn’t spend much time on social media or looking at my phone at all. It was a truly stress-free vacation. (I know not every vacation ends up stress-free!)
As every Agent (and anyone working in an insurance office) knows it can be hard to “turn off” work and give full attention to “being on vacation.” It’s the same for any person working in a fast-paced work environment. The demands are high.
Making time to get away and to unwind and relax is so important to our mental health. Vacations, when enjoyed as they should be, recharge and rejuvenate us. Vacationing reminds us that our reality is what allows us to be able to get away and enjoy ourselves, if only for a week or so.
And what fun is a vacation if you don’t get to look forward to the next one!
We go on vacation knowing that eventually, we have to return to reality. And that’s OK. If we didn’t have to get back to the reality of working in an insurance office, then it wouldn’t be called a vacation in the first place.
Now… how long until I can book a flight for my next girl’s trip?