Going through vacation or post-labor day weekend withdrawals? Hello – you’re normal! We all go through this! Your mind and body just took time off from your normal everyday routine. You can’t expect to jump back and be at 100% productivity after slowing down. Just like it takes a few days to unwind and truly relax when you take a break or go on vacation, it takes a few days to get back into the swing of things. I’ll be the first to admit it can challenging, especially when you’re coming off a huge vacation high from all the amazing experiences you just had and memories you’re bringing back.
I just returned from a very relaxing trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. My boyfriend and I were invited to spend a week there and join his friend’s honeymoon! Yes, that’s totally a thing now–join the honeymoon! Anyways, I can’t believe I’ve now been there 5 times! If you enjoy beach vacations and need a getaway, I highly recommend Punta Cana and the DR. I have plenty of recommendations on where to stay and what to do, which I’ll save for another post.
If you are going through a little post-vacation slump or funk, I have 5 Strong Girl Tips to boost that motivation and get you back on track!
1. Just start! Yesterday, I felt overwhelmed thinking about everything I had to do. That in it of itself can be paralyzing and make you procrastinate the important things you need to do because they’ve piled up into a huge mountain you now need to climb. But if you pick one task to start chipping away at, you’ll start to pick up both steam and motivation to get back on track as you make progress. Review your goals and make smaller ones and tasks for the week. Don’t dwell too much on the game plan as that can cause you to delay, as well. Set your small tasks, start working on one at a time and adjust as you go. You’ll start to gain confidence as you complete tasks and check things off your list.
2. Focus. This can obviously be challenging after giving your brain time off from focusing. But, break things down to the basics and try to maintain focus on just the task at hand and not that big mountain. Our brains cannot multi-task on more than one thing. When you focus you find your flow! Be conscious of what you’re letting into your brain and the distractions that can arise. You can eliminate tabs on your computer, set specific times to respond to email, clear your workspace, keep your phone on silent and if you’re addicted to social media–logout of your accounts so that it’s not as easy to check them. Even my eyes have been having a hard time focusing on the computer screen. So, keeping your desktop and windows clear of clutter is a good way to eliminate eye-wandering and disctrations.
3. Check-In/Accountability Partner: After you catch-up and share your vacation memories with a friend, family member, mentor or co-worker, tell them your work plans for the day or week and ask them to check-in with you and your progress. Pick one or two people- you don’t need to involve your entire social circle, which would obviously be counter-productive. The person (or persons) should be someone you trust and admire and who’s opinion you value. Set an alarm or reminder on your phone or computer at different times so that you can report your progress. You wouldn’t want to let them down and tell them you slacked off, would you?!
4. Take a walk. Start your day with fresh air and a morning walk to get your blood flowing and circulating. Plan mini-walks throughout your day when you need to take a break to help you re-focus. Take it a notch further and slowly ease back into your workout routine (especially if you did not exercise on your vacation). I love doing cardio and light weight training after a trip to keep things light and easy until my body finds its equilibrium again to workout at the same intensity I was at before taking time off.
5. Don’t be hard on yourself! If you don’t use it, you lose it. When you take a break, sometimes you lose a little bit of your edge. Knowing you’ll get it back once you pick up momentum is key. Stay calm and have faith you’ll be back in your groove in a few days. It can take a few days to detox from your vacation lifestyle and get back into your normal routine!
6. BONUS: HYDRATE! It’s so important to drink water and stay hydrated! For women, the Institude of Medicine recommends 2.7 liters of water. But, as an active strong girl, I recommmend you drink 3 or more liters of water a day depending on weather and how much you exercise and sweat. The moment our bodies become dehydrated our body slows down and does not function as efficiently. If we want to get back up to speed, the last thing we want to do is deprive our mind and body of what they need in order to run at 100%. This doesn’t mean downing water liters at a time. Taking sips on your breaks, throughout your day and at meals is a good way to pace yourself.
I hope these Strong Girl Tips help you as you transition back to school or work after a break! What else do you do to help light the spark and get back into your routine? Let me know in the comments below!
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