July 23rd, 2021
Ann Collins
Are you absolutely ready for a holiday? Silly question in 2021!
How we switch off from work is a topic that is often explored and discussed by busy people. In the past, these work and life boundaries were traditionally marked out in the physical sense of travelling to and from work.
However, these last 18 months it has become clear that these clear lines of work and home life have become very blurred. Not only that, we have started to miss the physical boundaries - the rituals and habits that come with the transition of leaving work to come home. Who would have thought we would miss commuting? Whether you read a book or caught up on emails before arriving home. Going to the gym on your way home, drinks or dinner after work with friends, family or colleagues.
I'm reading a fascinating book by Ethan Kross, Chatter: The Voice in our Head and How to Harness it in which he talks about another role of rituals: the importance of rituals in calming the chatter in our head, that inner voice that can help and derail. He explains that in the absence of rituals, the volume ramps up and this high volume "chatter" can be difficult to manage, especially if it becomes anxiety-inducing.
So, when we're thinking about how we can work on those home/work and work/holiday boundaries, we could try looking at it from another perspective and ask ourselves; what rituals do I need in order to calm the chatter and my thoughts? How can I stop the constant, inner dialogue and bring stillness to my overstimulated mind and body?
Taking a physical holiday allows us the opportunity to take a break from our everyday routine but what if we could create our very own holiday routine that allows us to calm our internal chatter?
What would that look like for you? How would it feel?
I realise I may be alone in this, but what works for me waking 5.45am to make the most of a quiet hour or so to myself. I might read, practice some yoga, have a coffee or journal some ideas in my notebook. For many years, I've had a special notebook for holiday times to write down ideas and projects and thoughts!
Another holiday routine I've always loved if the weather allows (!), is to take a long evening swim (at least one kilometre) in the outdoor pool - even better if it is heated! I take such pleasure in doing this, as it calms the internal chatter, soothes me so I sleep well which in turn provides clarity and focus for new ideas.
Finally, by stepping into who I need to be for that calmness: I allow myself time away from the detail, to reflect on the big picture; to think bigger, broader and plan what seems impossible, but exciting!
You might be wondering how this enables me to switch off from work whilst doing all this thinking?! I don't switch off completely, but I change gears by taking a step back, observing the situation from much higher above, where the detail is unreadable.
That gives me the most amazing holiday!
Does that help you?
Here's wishing you a very happy and healthy holiday!
if you would like to know more about harnessing your inner voice, click here to listen to my series of Inner Voice podcasts.