Edition 232 – The Importance of R&R

As you would know from last week’s edition of Growth, my wife and I have recently returned from a week away on the beautiful far South Coast of New South Wales. It’s not normal for us to head to cooler climes mid year, but with border restrictions in place at the time of making our booking, we decided to stay closer to home.

It has been a very busy start to the year, made all the more so by the impact that COVID 19 had. Throughout the period mid March to early May, it was all hands on deck as I worked with my clients to help guide them through the turbulence. It was akin to driving at night, in fog, without headlights and, as such, the body and brain were ready to take a break.

The week away was restorative in so many ways. Planning it when travel restrictions within New South Wales were lifted meant that we had something to work towards and look forward to. When it finally came, it didn’t disappoint.

Here’s what I discovered in a short week away:

1. Not setting the alarm for a week was liberating and relaxing.
2. I had the best sleep I’ve had of all of 2020 – in an unfamiliar bed.
3. Telling people in advance I was going to be away meant that people were understanding of the importance of my time away. For those that weren’t told, they well and truly respected our need to tune out.
4. Fresh air and walks on the beach helped to clear the head and rest the body.
5. You can and should indulge yourself – for me, it’s sweet delicacies (but not chocolate!).
6. Your conversation with your partner or spouse is deeper when you deliberately choose to leave work behind for a week.
7. The journey is as important as the destination. Talking the time to detour on the way meant we saw things that we’d never seen before and would otherwise have remained as blips on the map.
8. Deliberately doing nothing can transport you to far away places. For me, it was a bric-a-brac shop full of 60’s, 70’s & 80’s albums that took me back to a distant time, in a world of my own.
9. When you wait, good things happen. For us, a picnic on a secluded beach, gazing out to sea, was rewarded by a pod of dolphins frolicking in the surf 100 metres away from us.
10. We’ve been blessed to enjoy the beaches of the Caribbean, eat in the restaurants of New York City and sample the wines of the Napa Valley. As far as the South Coast of New South Wales go, the beaches are better, the food more flavoursome and the wines as good as those wistful, far off places, all four hours from home, by car.

2020 is a year like no other we’ve experienced before and, potentially, like no other we will experience again. What we’ve been through and, for some, what they’re continuing to go through, makes these special times away some of the most important times in our lives.

Whether it is taking a short holiday, or ducking away for a long weekend, the restorative powers of time away will do wonders for your mind, body, soul, relationships and family business.