There are days that are filled with challenges and you can’t wait to get home. We’ve all been there. But when those days turn into weeks, and even months, something’s got to give. A number of years ago, at one of my former jobs, I was going through some pretty stressful days at work. The stress took its toll on me; I was cranky, had a negative attitude, and it was messing with my health (physically, mentally, and spiritually). My wife could see the effect work was having on me, so she came up with a plan that completely changed everything.
Her idea was this; once I left work, I was on vacation. That’s what I had to tell myself. Each night and weekend was a chance to relax and not worry about work. After all, when you’re on vacation you don’t think about those things that bring you down; you only think about enjoying those precious few hours of vacation that you have. Because of that, we were able to really enjoy our time together.
This way of thinking got me through many difficult days. No matter what, I was only a few hours away from being on vacation. The feeling when you walk out of the building knowing you’re on vacation can’t be beat. At the time, it also gave me the strength to hold on until I was able to transfer to a different division within the company; one with a lot less stress.
It’s so much easier to be yourself when you’re not stressed. We’re meant to live a life of passion and purpose. It doesn’t meant that we won’t have challenges or disappointments, but we need to be able to find a way to keep plugging away, even when it feels like we can’t. We can’t give up hope. For me, taking a vacation every night was the best medicine there was.
Have you ever tried this tactic? Is there anything else that’s worked for you? How do you find the strength to make it through your challenging days?
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