Vacation During COVID-19 Is Important

Offices and schools are closed, and the worlds of parents and children as students have collided, and COVID-19 is to blame. If you’re a novice at working from home it can be hard separating where work ends, and home life begins. Do you have a home office, or are you working off your kitchen table? Some people are fortunate enough to have a home office, and others have had to become creative and designate a space in their home for all things work related. Dining tables are covered with white papers, pens, pencils, and a variety of office supplies. Bedrooms have become boardrooms. Because of the inability to separate work from home life, taking a vacation is important now more than ever to maintain your sanity. Pre-COVID19 we would purposefully take vacation to get away from the workload, a demanding boss, an irritating coworker, or a toxic work environment. However, the irritating coworker is now our own offspring, so it may be difficult to take a vacation away from them.

I had the privilege of taking vacation recently, and while I had no plans of traveling by air, sea, or land, it was important for me to take a vacation to lower my stress level, regain my motivation, and reaffirm my purpose for life and work. The pandemic came upon us suddenly, and if you’re like me you’ve been working from home. When I left the office in March I thought I would be working from home 30 days at the most, but then my thirty day assumption turned into five months with no end in sight.

During the five months working from home I had not taken a vacation or a day off, and to top it all off, the icing on the work from home cake was the school at home that followed. Here I was stuck at home not only as an employee, but as a mother homeschooling her children. The tasks at hand had to be done, and even though I was unprepared, they had to be done efficiently. Failing at my job duties could mean unemployment and failing at homeschooling could mean unemployable children. I may be exaggerating a bit, but that’s how I felt. I felt as if I was trapped in a do or die situation, a feeling that has extended its arms, and has been hugging my life since then.

The decision to take a vacation was the best one I’ve made since the pandemic started. For the first time in five months I was not tethered to a phone or laptop. Pre-pandemic era I would answer emails and phone calls while on vacation, but this vacation was intentional. I was intent on being work phone free, and email free. I didn’t let the need to check in with my staff/co-workers consume me. During my vacation I practiced mindfulness. I appreciated and enjoyed the moment. For almost two weeks I was fully engaged in the art of being unproductive. I went to bed early and woke up late. At the end of my vacation I headed to the office (my dining table), with a healthier mentality and renewed vigor.

If you are working from home, working overtime, or suffering from fatigue and stress during this pandemic, take your vacation. It may seem as if there’s no need for a vacation because you’re already at home, and would rather not travel with a deadly virus floating about. Additionally, with the CDC recommending staying at home instead of traveling because traveling increases the risk of getting COVID-19, the options for vacation destinations are limited. But taking time away from work is important. People who take vacation tend to have lower stress, a better outlook on life, are more motivated, and are at less risk of developing heart disease. While I did not take a cruise as I would have liked, I thoroughly enjoyed my time off. Below I’ve listed five things I did while on vacation that were worthwhile and safe. Please feel free to use my ideas, add your own, and leave a comment.

Vacation Ideas During COVID-19

1. I unplugged. I made a promise to myself and my family that I would stay away from the laptop and work phone. I checked a few emails stealthily, but for the most part I remained work free.
2. The days at home were spent in the yard with the children playing games, rode our bicycles throughout the neighborhood, did some gardening, and even had a bar-b-que.
3. Day trips. We took day trips to parts of the state that were scenic. I’m fortunate to be living in a state with many beaches, and during our day trips we would visit a beach in the area, national wildlife preserve, and a beautiful lake where we went fishing. The day trips allowed us to have fun outdoors while practicing social distancing.
4. Planned a picnic and went Kayaking near the picnic site.
5. Drove two hours to a sleepy seaside town to a restaurant I’ve always wanted to visit for their delicious lobster rolls. We ordered over the phone, got our food curbside, and ate it on the way home while enjoying the scenic views and playing car games.

During this vacation my family and I bonded while enjoying the simple pleasures of life, practiced social distancing, plenty of hand sanitizers, and wore our masks as required.

For more on this blog post, listen to my podcast: Dr. Tamaru Speaks, available on all popular outlets. Or click the link below.

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/40461187