I was sitting tucked away near the river in front of my cabin in Westbridge (population 300) feeling relaxed and surprisingly well rested thinking about what to write when it dawned on me just how important it is to do exactly what I was doing – Taking a holiday. Taking time to escape from our regular schedule is so critical to our relationship with ourselves and our relationship to others. It gives us a break from our To-Do list and allows us to relax and regroup. It also gets us out of our day-to-day routine that we can develop with our partners and can cause that spark to reignite. We often think that a holiday means escaping somewhere tropical or going somewhere that requires significant travel. The truth is, a holiday is simply getting away from your house and being somewhere different. Maybe you go camping for a long weekend, or swap houses with a friend who lives in a different city than you. If you can afford to travel and want to get away 
somewhere even further that is awesome too. The key to taking a vacation is actually leaving everything behind. Leave your phone at home along with your computer. If your work phone is also your cell phone, then turn off your email when you leave and make a promise both to yourself and to your partner not to check it. We forget how important it is to disconnect when we are busy running around on a daily basis but never taking a time out means you will inevitably be heading towards burnout: relationship burnout, work burnout, friendship burnout, or health burnout. None of those are good things.
So take a brief time out right now and figure out when you are going to plan your next vacation. If you already have it planned that’s awesome, if not then look at your schedule and figure out where you are going next and be sure to make it happen. Remember that vacations are just as important whether you are in a relationship or not. If you are in a relationship, arrange a trip that will allow both of you to have a great time (in other words, planning a spa retreat may not be your partner’s ideal vacation ladies!). If you are single, planning an escape for you to catch up on your own self-care is vital. After all, if you don’t take time for you it will be hard to convince other to do so.
I am off to go take my own advice and read my magazine while the sun is still out.
Happy Vacationing!
