R&R Time – Are you game?

Last week I took a well-deserved long weekend break. I went to Hoogland Health Hydro for some good R&R. I used to do this when I worked in a demanding job as a senior government official. I would once a quarter; drive to Hoogland on a Friday afternoon and I will spend the weekend away from everything only to reconnect on Monday morning. I used to find the weekends rejuvenating as I would take time away from the job; the family and basically the world and just be with me. I would sleep a lot; be pampered; go for long walks in private and my whole being would be revived, and I would find new ways of showing up in my job; having taken the time to declutter and gain some perspective. Driving to Hoogland this last weekend; brought back memories of being busy; carrying a heavy load on my shoulders and more importantly the burden to succeed. Here is the thing; the higher you get in organisations the bigger load your carry and the more you are expected to know and solve problems. It remains to be seen who feeds this beast if not ourselves. Unless you have a coping formula, you can easily lose it. My coping mechanism was to escape from it all and just focus on self and allow myself to be treated like a queen/very tired client who needed some serious pampering. As I work with clients these days; especially at the executive level; I am amazed at how the word “pampering” is seen as taboo. My clients; especially the executive ones; feel so guilty at the sheer mention of the word let alone including it as part of their to-do list. Living in a post-COVID world I think we should make self-care; time-out; pampering etc. more fashionable if not compulsory. We need to accord the word “self-compassion” the same status as strategy. Create the link between time-out and productivity. This is for a simple reason….people have found working from home to be synonymous with self-forgetting and throwing away any form of boundaries. In my observation; there are too many meetings and often no breaks between or during the meetings. In the past people used to drive or travel between meetings and therefore allow themselves time to think; take a break; listen to music in the car or just experience what is going on in the neighbourhood. Here’s the thing; what is not scheduled ain’t gonna happen; so, my submission is that let’s schedule time to recharge in our busy schedules (take time out to boil the kettle and brew some tea or even better book yourself for a weekend at a health spa). In addition, let’s up our deserve level to include pampering (stretching and massages). Further, let’s include movement of the body (exercise) as part of the daily routine of every manager/leader and whilst at it include some play time (dancing to music). As a coach, I work with leaders to find their essence and lead organisations to sustainability. I do have a responsibility to make sure that I support my clients holistically and hold out a mirror for them in many aspects of their lives including their personal well-being. So; if you feel overwhelmed and not sure how to navigate life’s problems; I am raising my hand to act as an accountability partner and a support base for your success. If you want to go deeper on these issues and more please Click here to set up your free 30-minute; no-commitment discovery call. Let’s connect and see how can I help. I am happy to listen and help you to relieve the burden on a free 30-minute call and let’s see where the conversation takes us. Once again Click here and book that call; there is no more time for hesitation let’s get started. Pamthecoach