30 Days Ago I Started a Blog

30 days ago I wrote about my vacation wake up call.

As soon as I came back from a very rare opportunity to visit a warmer climate and have a full week off with nothing on my mind, I resorted back to an insane life.

That's slightly exagerated.  It was not totally insane but as soon as I got off the plane I was back to my hyperactive self.  As soon as the phone began to ring I was unraveling my calm brain trying to bend over backwards for who?  Myself I guess because I am generally an over-pleaser.  Then, I was completely exhausted the next day.

Enough of my complaining.  I saw such a dramatic change between the vacation me and the back to normal life me, I had to reclaim the vacation me and incorporate the vacation me into the everyday life.  I wanted to make daily living more than checking of a to do list and being the family taxi service.

I want to live like vacation.

That does not mean sit on the beach homeschooling my child and working some amazing home business that provide barrels of cash to my bank account.  That could be in the future, but does not sound realistic to me.

Right now I am taking small baby steps at living a less scrambled life that has more calm so I can be a better health care practitioner for my practice members and have enough energy left to be a fun mom and wife.

So, here I already see my big fault here.  I need to be an awesome wife and mother first.  Then, have some left over energy for my private practice.  How did I get so brainwashed?

Time to get un-brain-washed and live like vacation.

Yes, things need to get done.  I have to raise a young boy and help him become a decent grown up.  Yes, we have bills to pay so we are not a burden to others.  Yes, hubby and I need to have a life together that doesn't include work, bills, repairs, errands, babysitting, etc.

So a mind shift took place because I saw the different side of me while I was on vacation.  And I saw that side of me lost suddenly back in the weeds.

So, the mind-set shift continues.
The habits change.  In ways this is becoming a health makeover although I have not noted too much of that since the blog began.

Based on the principle of the domino effect.  Good habits have a ripple effect in multiple areas of life.

Anything that helps you reclaim your energy gives you better mileage.  So, these initial baby-steps are leading to other goals that are more far reaching than getting everyone out the door on time.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride with me.

Live Like Vacation Traits in Action

In my facebook feed I caught an article about Gregg Jarrett's return to the anchor chair after some embarrassing media moments last year. It really is a nice happy ending story to read about when when the news is filled with depressing tragedies.

Understandably, we are only seeing Mr. Jarrett big smile a year later.  We were not privy to the day to day struggles he had to overcome and that he continues to work on.  Living life is a process. He must still go to therapy and meetings.  Every day he is working on his health.

There are some good lessons here we can also relate to:

1.  What you do has a domino effect on others.  For Mr. Jarrett he was impacting his family in a negative manner for a while.  Now, he is going in the other direction.  His boss, Roger Ailes made some sacrifices himself as he stood by his employee and stayed with him during every step of his trials.  His actions, also had a domino effect on Mr. Jarrett, as well.  And Mr. Jarrett very graciously acknowledges Mr. Ailes commitment.  We can make our work joyful to ourselves and others.  Recognize Step #5 here?

2.  Your everyday health and long term health both need good daily habits.  You cannot put your health on autopilot.  You can never take your health for granted.  As a health care practitioner I must stress that the body works very profoundly balancing important metabolic processes.  While things seem to work automatically and your body bounces back pretty well after a splurge at the donut shop, nights drinking with friends, or weeks of staying up until 1 AM, the body will eventually buckle under the stress.  Mr. Jarrett demonstrates this and he is working hard on his daily habits.  Step #2 is here.

I'll let him tell you his side of the story here.  

How Do You Feel When You Wake Up?

When you first wake up in the morning you:

A)  Scream because the alarm clock noise scared you

B)  You hear the alarm clock and hit it the snooze button ten times because you just can imagine getting out of bed

C) Slap the alarm clock and roll out of bed because your joints are so stiff you feel as a bus ran over your bed while you slept

D) Stare clock as you wonder how you will get moving for the day

E) Get up and mope your way through the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen aching for the first caffeine hit out of the coffee maker

F) Roll over turn on the radio or TV to make sure the rest of the world is getting up with you

E) Open one eye to check how much light is peering through the window, stretch a little bit and lay there until the light is a little bit brighter, then ease out of bed

Do you have a morning ritual that prepares you mentally for the day?
ie. journal, Bible, catching up on the news....

Coming Soon.....The Principle of Wiggle Room

Just a little reminder to myself, so I can stay organized and on track.

I want to delve more into the principle of wiggle room.  It helps us with stay focused on our bigger goals.

So, be patient.  Thank you.

Does Step #3 Drive You Crazy?

Just wondering.

Because there are moments in my day when I feel like I am a robot getting things done that are so mundane.

That's step 3.

Here's a recap of the steps so far. (I introduced them in this prior post.)

1. Make a commitment to the Live-Like-Vacation  Lifestyle
2. Sleep at the same time every night
3. Systematize your daily activities/chores so they are out of the way, (then you will have more room for the bigger activities)

Here's #4 and #5 just FYI:
4. Knock out of your life the things that are unproductive
5. Make your work joyful for yourself and others

And then, coming soon, as I work through my LLV progress, I will add in steps that address financial wellness.

Can Step #3 be a real drain?
I believe the answer is "yes."  This is something we have to make peace with.
I can wake up and stroll into the kitchen and say to myself, here I am again making coffee, making breakfast, feeding the cats...

Day in an day out these chores are here waiting to get done.  Paying the bills, taking out the trash, laundry, etc.  What is there to feel good about?  It's drudgery.

But if you can systematize it.....Oh, boy.  That's another chore.

Well, if I go about it willy-nilly, I forget something like making son's lunch.  Then I have to scramble to get that done before he's late for school.  So, a system will prevent scrambling.

I do not like scrambling.  This is what makes me so grumpy in the first place wondering when I can have my next vacation.

Scrambling is what makes my practice members call me up in a panic because they need to get adjusted as soon as they can because all their stress sneaked up on them.

I also tend to scramble when I am at work.  I have to type up a notice for someone.  I have to get a claim ready to mail.  I have to be productive in between appointments before it's time to pick up son from school.  I have to set aside time to eat lunch before my brain crashes next to my feet.

I have to systematize my work day so I can be more attentive to my practice members when they need me the most.

You, whoever you are, need to systematize your work day so you can be your best for your customers, clients, students, and co-workers.  We deserve it from each other.

So, the daily chores go smoothly and give you more time for the important things, or we can just feel as if we are drowning in the annoyance of chores.

I guess we can look back at #1.  The commitment makes a difference in our mind-set.  We know there is a greater reward when the small details are worked out.

And then I will throw in #2.  An authentically restful sleep routine makes us much more efficient, and we can feel as if this part of our day is effortless and a warm up for the rest.

Get warmed up for the rest of the day.

How do you use Step #3 to your advantage.  Please share in the comments section.

Also, in a future post I will discuss the second part of step #3.  You see that part that is written in parentheses.  What are the bigger activities of the LLV lifestyle?

Good question......  See you soon.  

Weekends Are Made for Nothing

Okay, disclaimer here:  I know not everyone gets the weekend off.  Many workers get their time off during the week.  Many people work more than one job.  I remember those days when I did it, too.  I would have to fight tooth and nail to request time off on holidays so I could travel to my parents' house to actually spend time with family.

And most of the time our society has regulated the work week to forty hours providing extra compensation for the necessary overtime and folks have two days off each week.  Sometimes.....  I guess that's why I have a Live Like Vacation Blog.  Life has become complicated and we forgot how to rest.

Back to my topic:

Weekends are made for nothing.  Well, I just laughed out loud at myself typing this.  Saturday just went by and I complained all day to myself that this was the pits.

Thinking back to my week in Florida, we focused on nothing.  Our minds were clear of multitasking thoughts.  We sat around much of the time and we made spur of the moment decisions when we wanted to do something.

That doesn't seem to happen on the weekends.
Grr.....I'm still working on it.  I guess I have to tweak this and that's the point of the blog.  I can write about it here and make changes in my schedule.

Every weekend we do the major shopping trip.  I used to like it.  But. .. Here's a secret. I like going alone.  I like getting lost in my own little world of browsing and looking at new items I might want to try.  But Hubby and I have different likes and he is so much better at picking out meat and comparing meat prices.

Shopping is part of the errand/chore routine that occupies people's time off.  Then there is the lawn, yard work, and the extra cleaning to get the dust balls that we walked by all week in the hallway.  You know what I mean.

And son plays a sport.  Right now it's only one sport, whew.  I don't know what else he is interested in at this point, but we do CYO basketball and all the games are on Sunday.  Of course that's perfect.  An hour or so after church he plays a game and Sunday is the best time of the week.

And then there's the Sabbath practice.  We are commanded by God to keep holy the Sabbath.  We tend to get a little fuzzy on that when he cram so much in the weekend.

Since I am Catholic, I will refer to the catechism because it truly reflects the genius of God's commandment.  And, well, God knows what he's doing and it clearly makes sense as to what our needs are.

I pasted the section below and put it in bold.  Here are some quick bullet points:
1. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and Hallowed it:  So should we.
2. There is an irrevocable covenant with Israel regarding the release from bondage in Eygpt and God's trust that we would honor it.
3. Even God rested and was refreshed so what an important example it is for us. Should we be completely exhausted and wiped out during the time of rest, or should we look forward to it as a time of joyful reflection and recreation?
4. Christ declares the Sabbath for doing good, rather than harm. Do we sometimes warp the idea of "doing good?"  Do we over-do activities as we try to finish our work?  I admit, my work creeps in to the weekend and robs me of a fuller Sabbath.  It seems as if the Sabbath gets the minimum.

ARTICLE 3
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work.⁹⁰The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.⁹¹

* I. THE SABBATH DAY

2168 The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD."⁹²

2169 In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."⁹³

2170 Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of Israel's liberation from bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with mighty hand and outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day."⁹⁴

2171 God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable covenant.⁹⁵ The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel.

2172 God's action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to "rest" and should let others, especially the poor, "be refreshed."⁹⁶ The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.⁹⁷

2173 The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day.⁹⁸ He gives this law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath."⁹⁹ With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.¹⁰⁰ The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God.¹⁰¹ "The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."¹⁰²

^{And a little farther down in the catechism this common sense practice is reiterated. Some very devout Christians will not even shop or go out on the Sabbath day because that forces others to also work.}

2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"¹²¹ human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.¹²²

In short, the weekends should be made for nothing that distracts us from what is important in the bigger picture of life.  This idea can change or inspire how to conduct ourselves during our time off.

Again, this is another reminder that we can do all our work and play in a mindless manner, or we can be mindful.

The Problem of the Plate

Do you do so many things in one day that you are not feeling accomplished?  Do you just get by with a feeling of exhaustion as you run from one task to the next?

Are you cramming so much into your day that you make mistakes that are regretful?

Do you put out many fires in a life of chaos?

This is the theory of the plate.  You can keep pushing more things on to the plate until something on the other side slides off.  Just like the song On Top of Old Smokey, That meatball falls right on to the floor.

The saying is "I've got too much on my plate."  And we sure do not want things to fall off, like our precious relationships.

We can push things aside.  We can push aside things that take up too much time.  We don't want to push aside our family.

It's easy to say no to some things. I don't have time to attend every event I am invited to.  Many things just can't be done while I have a young child.  It's hard to say no to some people who really twist your arm about volunteering for something that you don't have time for, but it has to be done.

Some people may ask too much of you.  They want to be on your plate.
Be very careful.  You can't put it all on your plate.

Some people want to take control of your plate!   Ugh!

You can't live like vacation when your plate is ridiculously full.

If there are activities that make you feel grumpy, take a serious inventory and drop the ones that need to go.  If you argue with yourself about it, that's a sign that your life is too out of control.  If others will be disappointed....are you sure?  Or are you making that up in your mind?

It's a lot to think about but well worth it to decutter your life and slow down.

WHO LIVES FOR THE WEEKEND?

I do.  It's a big deal to me.  As a small business owner, I only close when there is a national holiday and of course the weekends.

Then I try to cram in chores and errands.  (Not always, and not happily)
Then there is a school activity or local event.  The day is done.  Then Sunday comes around and that day goes by sooooo fast.   Then the weekend's over.  Who's tired and resentful?

Who doesn't get Authentically Restful Sleep on the weekend because they break their Authentically Restful Sleep Routine.  ???????

One Month Progress Report

It hasn't been quite a month yet, but we did leave for vacation Feb. 20th, and today is March 20th.  Once I completed the 2 week pre-vacation preparations, I was ready to start our trip to Florida.

I have made a small dent in my procrastination since I returned as this was a goal of mine.  To live like vacation, I wanted to do more than get through each day.  I want to add new approaches to my business and I want my home life to be more relaxed, yet accomplished, rather than a home being a drop off point where I just lay around in exhaustion with no real motivation to do things besides, well, lay around.  (How'd you like that wild run on sentence.  That run on sentence is an example of the run on life.  This is so funny I am not changing it.  Nope. No editing. )

My mind was generally in "sit and mope" mood, and usually in front of Facebook.  What a waste of time.  I used to tell myself I was resting, then the hours flew by.  Like I said.  What a waste.

More on this later......I have to get ready for the day.

***********I'm back **************

The day is over.  Work was steady and lunch was at 3:20!  But it was not the brain drain I usually feel.  I didn't let myself get worked up.  I took the break when it came up and I was ready for the rest of my afternoon.

I am going to bed by 9:30 tonight.  I am sticking to the sleep routine.  It has proven to be a smart change.  I had my relapse and, wow, what a difference.

And, another observation:  When I eat carbs or sugar, my sleep is disrupted as well.  So, diet and sleep are your two very important partners in the Live Like Vacation Mind-Set.  In fact, they are baseline.

I haven't done any real recreational things that are "vacation like" or renewing.  That is one criticism I have for myself.  I could blame the weather.  But I can't change the weather.

Another criticism:  I didn't exercise enough in the last 2 weeks.

Your Live Like Vacation plan doesn't have to be exactly like mine, but you have to decide what goals matter to you.

What things do you want to get away from when you go on vacation?
Work chaos?
Disruptions?
Family fighting?
Everything in the house that's broken?

What are your favorite things about vacation?
Ahhhhh......Sleep,....quiet.......leisure activities.......someone else cooking for you.........

Keep it a work in progress. But feel good as you do it.

When Time is Redefined

Paul Kalanithi died March 9, 2015 at the age of 37.  He was a neurosurgeon with a newborn baby.  He wrote an essay and remarked how time is viewed at different parts of a person's life.

He noted how 6 years of residency flew by until he was sick.  His days were long and he didn't have time to notice how exhausted he was while he was immensely focused on his patients.

Then, spending more time at home to rest, the sense of time is changed.  Time is meaningless when your entire day is spent making it to one doctor's appointment or getting the simplest of chores completed.  The things of his past were no longer important to him.  While he was between the last remission and the next relapse, his idea of time was just to be.

In church today, our priest brought up this man's story as he explained how we become so engrossed in our days we do not take into consideration we must look at ourselves in a certain way when our time has run out.

When we introduce ourselves to strangers, we break the ice by talking about what we do.  We are our occupation whether we are students, professionals, stay at home parents.  We focus on what we do  and how we are identified by our means of bringing home a paycheck or supporting our families.

But, when we are before God right after our death, how do we describe ourselves to God?  The worldly vocabulary of work and status are worthless and trivial.

God wants to know if we were devoted to him and if we helped bring peace of mind and comfort to others in tribute to him.

But we must find balance in the world because this is where we are for now. We can use the world's resources to accomplish wonderful things for God.

In our quest to live-like-vacation, we are not looking to be absent from the world, but we want to have some type of simplified life in order to accomplish things that have a higher ideal.

We are called to follow a purpose in life.  The principles that help us live like vacation give us the perspective and ability to stay focused on that purpose.

How have you enhanced or modified your perspective in your world?
How has your purposed been transformed during your life?

Read Dr. Kalanithi's essay: Before I Go

Vacation Fail: Remember Small Steps

Yesterday was not a good day.  It wasn't a completely bad day, but that's because I was determined to not let the unexpected fires define the entire day.

It's a work in progress.

Just get back on the horse.

Things are going to happen and you roll with them.

Now that the day has gone by, I am trying to recall what had me in a tizzy.

Oh yeah......

1) I had to make an emergency trip to the bank in the next town.  It took my entire afternoon break and I barely had time to wolf down a fast food salad before my afternoon appointments began. Meals during the week days are important, similar to the sleep factor.  If I'm going to be at my best for clients, I can't have any blood sugar crashes.  I was disappointed that I had to become so side tracked to put our this small fire that I had caused because I was not careful making a purchase for the office.  I was able to solve it, but the rest of my errands had to wait until the next day.

2) Also, I wasn't feeling well that day.  Woman stuff.  Enough to say about that.  I could right a book on this topic alone.

3)  Our morning routine was a complete meltdown for everyone involved.  It only took a second for all of us to snap and turn into the King Kong family. Take in that imagery for a second.  Yeah, we felt awful.  This is not how families stand together for each other.

What I loved about vacation was the fact that I was not bogged down by errands and stuff. (You know all about that stuff.... ugh)  I can't avoid it during the work day, so flexibility is key.  Also, leaving yourself wiggle room for last minute changes is important.

The last point here is, this is a slow process.  We can get into the Vacation-Feel but small steps will make it successful.

Take the pressure off, but get back on the horse.

Your Work: Can You Live With It Or Live Without It?

Seminar speaker, Dr. John DiMartini said something similar to this once at a corporate event.  He said if people were not happy at their jobs, they were not  helping themselves or doing any favors for their co-workers or the company.  So, he basically said: leave now.

He said it a bit more eloquently with inspiration than my rendition above.

About 25% of the people quit and many thanked him for the push.  The company was surprised but relieved.   They were going to lay off people soon after the seminar and this took care of having to make the difficult decision of choosing who to fire.  The folks who ended up quitting did so free from guilt and moved on to something that was more adventurous to them.

Doesn't this sound just so sappy and happy?

Is this reality?

Is quitting your job an option?  Apparently in his story, the folks who resigned from their positions were grateful because they somehow needed permission to leave.  I imagine for the people who remained at their jobs things became different enough because they were the ones who had the strong commitment necessary to make a company successful without the unhappy ones getting in the way.

This idea is a bit like Kenneth Blanchard.  He is the author of the One Minute Manager.  I went to a book signing a few years back and he gave quite an inspirational talk.  He teaches managers how to trust their employees and make them full participants in the company.  He states giving employees the ability aka authority to make decisions not only gives employees recognition for their talents it is a time saver.

When you think about it, if a worker does not have the authority to provide something for a customer that employee is just in the way for the owner of the business.  If an employee cannot be trusted, than the employer does not know how to hire well.

I'm not someone with all the answers, but I see both sides of the issue.  Employees have certain duties that free up the owner.  The owner has the responsibility to lead the business into innovative growth.  Owners do not want to be babysitters.

Can you negotiate your way through your position so you feel as if you are making a difference in your company?  Can you approach it in a way so it is a win-win for your financial needs as well as the needs of your manager?

If you are going to live like vacation, you need this kind of balance in your work.

So back to Dr. DeMartini's mass resignation at one company, can you live with you job you have now, or should you live without it?

Can you make small step goals to make your situation more desirable for your live like vacation mind-set?

Kenneth Blanchard

John DeMartini

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

What really made the vacation?

Our days on vacation were entirely uncluttered.

The bills were paid in advance.  The phone did not ring, since I told my practice members that the office was closed. There were no lunches to pack.  Even though we did laundry during our vacation, we didn't have to get it done by a certain time so all work clothes and school uniforms were ready.  We made a couple of trips to a grocery store that were low stress trips since we were leisurely planning meals.  All recreational plans were low keyed.  There were no major trips to museums, and no visits to tourist attractions.  There was no dealing with long drives in traffic. We had a few visits with relatives in the evenings, but we mostly kept to ourselves.

There were no distractions.  There was no over-booking of activities.  There were no surprises that typically come up during work days.

So how can this experience carry over into the return to daily life?

1.  First of all there has to be a commitment.  The stark change from one day to the next was an eye opener for me.  As soon as I landed back in Syracuse, the nonsense began.  I said, "Enough! I want that vacation-feel back!"  Like I said in an earlier post.  I had no desire to leave town.  I was happy being a working dog. (I have nothing against working dogs.)  It was a comfort zone.  Upon my return I realized things could be different because I lived it differently for a week!

Some people never believe they can have something different.  I hear it everyday in my office.  Practice members do not believe they can get one inch closer to better health. There is a big mental barrier that I empathize with.  It is a tough egg to crack.  I was like that.

When I finally knew what I didn't know, and gave up my "know it all" attitude so I could just enjoy myself for a week in sunny Florida, it was easy to make the commitment.  Here is the blog to prove it.

2.  You must sleep at the same hours every night.   If you think your body is happy with an 11 o'clock bed time, or 10 o'clock bedtime, think again.   There is too much of a domino effect when you don't go to bed earlier and keep it consistent (weekends included).  Your energy, mental organization, temperament, productivity,  food cravings, are all going in the wrong direction.  Time is wasted.  Productivity is a joke.  I blamed it on hormones....LOL.   Even hormones need sleep.  Don't lie to yourself about sleep.

3.  You must systematize your daily activities so they are done and out of the way and then you will have more room for the enjoyment!  Get the little things done and out of the way.  Really, they are not little things, because they play a supporting role to get you out there in the world ready to take action.  How do you begin?  Well, you go to bed at a decent hour and then discover what you can accomplish the next day.

A few weeks ago I wrote a health article about energy.  I made a point about my personal life that I was giving away the best of me all day during office hours and there was nothing left of me at home for my family.  I know if I feel this way, everyone else has this problem.  I was doing a lot of things well such as taking my supplements, getting adjusted weekly, exercising a little bit..... Well, in all honesty, there were holes in my bucket.  Vacation helped me see that.  I was putting my all into the office, even that can eventually run on fumes.  I have many ideas for new projects, marketing, etc., but they have been on the back burner for months.  The back burner is turning into a cobweb filled attack.

If you are a list writer, take all your "supporting role" chores make that list.  Come up with ways to reduce the time you spend on them.  Get them done in a more efficient manner.  And when you get on the authentic restful sleep routine, you'll have an extra time and energy.

4.  Totally knock out the things that are unproductive.   Back to commitment again.  Here's a few ideas.  They have some pesky emotional  attachments. Skip the little detour to Dunkin Donuts, find ways to avoid the post office, ignore phone  calls during your most productive time of day, set strong boundaries with certain people in your life, (Yep, do it.), give up television.  Here's a biggie: use social media for catching up with family, sharing photos, following a few interests.  I said few.  Give up the rest.   Don't read every comment, don't read every news story shared.  Skip 80% of it.

Now, don't take my word for it.  These are well known strategies to get your life in balance. When you feel the benefits of your Live Like Vacation changeover you will easily kick these time suckers to the curb!

I started out this blog taking things slowly, step by step.  Don't overwhelm yourself.

5.  Make your work joyful for yourself and others.
     Does this make you nervous?   Concentrate on #1-3, jump into #4 later and then you'll be ready for #5.

I'll be there with you doing the same thing myself.

Are You Taking the Wrong Kind of Vacation?

Vacations are essential to give the brain a tune-out time.  The body needs a time of repletion.   Vacation allows for more creative pursuits, if it is kept in balance.

Who comes back from vacation exhausted, let down, and sometimes angry at a loved one?

We try to "catch up on sleep," but that goes against the principle of the authentically restful sleep routine.  

We might eat out more, or just eat more, or drink more.

How often have you come back from vacation sick with a lousy cold, or horrible stomach upset?

Is there a way to make  traveling more restful?

If you take a stay-cation is it a blow out because you try to do too many home projects?

Note to Self: Let's Get More Into the Day

I am reminding myself to start delving into the activities of the day that help keep the vacation-feel-real.

I've been concentrating on the authentically restful sleep routine, ARSR, because it provides a strong foundation.  It gives you the energy and mental clarity to enjoy the day.

The next step is:  enjoying the day.

Two Whammies Coming Up

It's Friday so the weekend is here.

Two possible snags to my authentically restful sleep routine, ARSR, are coming up.

First, son has said all week he is looking forward to staying up late, so I'll have to decide how to handle it.  I might say no.  I might let him stay up until ten, but that means I have to stay up until ten and be the alarm clock for him.

Also this is the weekend we change the clocks and "spring ahead."  This morning I was up at 6:30 and it is already nice and bright.  I wonder if we really need this.  This is also the time of the year we have to get up an hour early due to the clock change and it can take quite a while to get used to it.

I will continue to go to bed at 9 PM and let myself wake up naturally as the light appears in the window.  This is the paleo/primal way to wake your body up anyway.

Also, today is a Friday during lent and that changes the whole breakfast ritual.  We still eat eggs and butter, but that is about it in the protein/fat department.  It is quite easy for me to feel light headed when I wait too to eat, not just during Lent.  The challenge now is to avoid meat and not go wild on the carbs.  Any type of flour and refined product is going to make my stomach bloat.  Yeck!  But this is a mild sacrifice compared to the Crucifixion of our Lord.  Less time on food allows more time on prayer.  But, I need to watch my diet today so I don't end up over-inflaming my system.

Go take on the Day and Keep that Vacation-Feel!

You Do Not Have to Feel Ruffled All Day Long

Have you ever had that ruffled feeling?  You could feel overwhelmed, rushed, and easily agitated.  You can feel like you are unproductive, spinning your wheels and putting out fires.

It's a long day when you feel that way.

 photo courtesy of Redwall Cookbook

What makes it worse is the desire to find comfort in food.  Eating on the run is an example.  Who doesn't dash over to the snack machine in search of a tasty pleasure to help you feel better about the day? The sad part is that you don't feel better, you feel worse.  This just spirals in a negative manner.

Just getting through the day seems to be a major goal with mugs and mugs of hot coffee or endless caffeinated soft drinks.  And the carby comfort foods...Oh boy.

I noticed with an authentically restful sleeping routine, (ARSR) I don't have food cravings.  Actually the midday hunger is easy to appease and then I go right back to my work.

This is just one of the hidden rollover benefits of good sleep.

The Domino Effect begins with good sleep!

Keep the Vacation-Feel......

I Am Not Obsessed with Sleep

I am not obsessed with sleep, but  these five posts have emphasized it.  And I've been getting some fun results with a good night's sleep that starts by going to bed at 9 PM every night.

We know America is sleep deprived.  All you have to do is google the statistics and health problems created by sleep deprivation.

I really fooled myself into thinking my variable bedtimes were fine even though I was in bed some nights at 9:30, or 10:00 or usually 10:45.  Since I woke up without an alarm clock, I convinced myself I was getting enough sleep.

This was an easy experiment and I feel a difference.

This nice surprise started during my vacation and I had no nagging issues to drag out my bedtime or keep me awake at night.  I will continue with my own self study and share my findings because now I have to deal with the competition between my desire for an authentically restful sleeping routine and the stressful activities that will be crammed into my life.

I will add that good sleep makes my evening chores get done quickly without some type of griping attitude muttered under my breath.  I am not tired even though I am turning in thirty minutes from now.

But I am not obsessed with sleep.  I am naturally stumbling into the other
issues that interfere with my ability to Live Like Vacation so they will be addressed next.

Diet will be another topic and I've given some sneak previews on that.
Here are more:
-Reducing time on errands through better planning
-The difference between being in control and being organized
-Financial planning
-Overbooking your day
-Responding to mishaps
-The causes and inefficiency of worrying
-The good bad and ugly about social media
-Truly being open to the saying: I had no idea what I was missing
-And more ...

Right now my son immediately responded when I said, "Bath time."
He also likes our new early bed time routine.  It used to be a chore getting him to bed.  Boy, it sounds like our night routine was chaos.  And it was.  When you come home from work exhausted your brain functions differently.  How normal is it to come home from work exhausted?
Let's delve into that next time.

Keep the Vacation-Feel !!

Day #4 Some Mornings You Just Have to Take It Slowly

The first thing my son said today was how much he liked going to bed early because he now gets up early and gets more play time in the morning. 

****

Today I wasn't feeling so hot when I got out of bed at 6:30.  Where can I pinpoint it?  I went to bed early but seemed to toss and turn all night.  I took a phone call from a stressed out relative right before bed.  We had Chinese for dinner after my frustrating time getting unstuck in the snowy drive way.

I'm not going to try to pin the blame on any one reason.  I don't have to be to the office until 11 AM today so I will just ease into the rest of the day.

I had to cleaned out a few spots in the driveway this morning and I felt a touch weak.  Not to mention, we're just plain tired of shoveling over and over.  I don't need to do my work out today, heh, heh.  I had my usual green drink and decided to eat breakfast right away.  Bacon and four poached eggs.

Much of the vacation mind-set is listening to your body's attempts to communicate its needs.  How often do we just plow on and get through the day because work is a priority?  How often do we put our health last and just keep our fingers crossed?

I know work is work and it must get done, but can we be more creative about it?  That is the question of the day.

More soon.....

Good Morning Day #3

Today is my busy day.  I have to head over to the next town at 8:30, so as soon as I drop off hubby and son to their work and school, I am on the road.

Waking up early was so easy.  But I know it's not easy when your sleep schedule is a mess.  Sometimes we have rotten sleep schedules that appear to be normal.  I thought I had a fairly decent sleep schedule.

My recent state of calmness these last two days pretty much proves I was not doing well in the sleep department.  And when we say we'll catch up later, or one late night during the week isn't so bad -- it really is bad.
----------------------Later in the day entry:
The rest of my day did not go as planned.  I was stuck in the sleety, snowy driveway.  It took a while to get out.  Thanks to some friendly neighbors, they pushed my car out.  I was stuck at the end of the driveway because I stopped.  People up north know that stopping is a risk.  I saw a neighbor leaving his driveway, so I stopped and it turns out if I just rammed it out onto the street I would have been fine.  But when it comes to high snow banks blocking your view, you can never be too careful.  This time it got me stuck.

I cancelled my evening appointments and I was okay with that.  I usually don't like changing other people's plans and I feel awful about it, but the weather was bad.

Now, my calmness about the situation.... was that because I had an authentic good night's sleep?  It can be up to debate but I'll say yes.
SLEEP MATTERS!

Now, you may think I am a horrible, out of control, witch.  I keep mentioning how calm I feel.  It's not that I was always over the top anxious.  I just don't know what other word besides "calm" to use to describe my journey.

The "vacation feel" is certainly nice, comfortable, relaxing.  This is the feeling I want to keep in my back to non-vacation life.  It feels very calm.

I kept my breakfast ritual simple again.  Doing so helps me feel less uptight about squeezing in a workout.  I truly loved my work out days.  I have been very lazy and in a rut for at least 1 1/2 years, so I miss it.  I'll go into more detail with that as well in future blog posts.

I will also talk more about my Paleo cereal.  It's a new favorite.

The clock says 8:56 PM. Time to turn in.

Day 2: Vacation Diet Pros and Cons

image: nomnompaleo.com

Welcome to my blog about making the vacation feeling last through regular daily living of work and chores.  I was back to the office today, since it is Monday morning.  It was the first morning I woke up feeling not rushed.

My plan last night was to be in bed by 9 PM.  I was actually getting to bed during my vacation between 9 and 10 and waking up at 7 AM.  This was quite  a nice surprise.  I enjoyed the slow quiet morning while everyone else slept.  I easily went to bed at an early hour during vacation and thought it would be nice to do that all the time.

So today I was awake at 6:30 AM.  I really didn't have to get up until 7 so I stayed in bed and thought about my goals for the morning.  I was up by 6:50 and starting morning chores.

One thing to note about going to bed early while on vacation: I had no chores to do.  We helped clean up the kitchen after dinner and that was about it.  I wasn't scurrying around the house like I do at home.

I tried to get to bed at a decent hour in the past but there was always one more thing to get done.  I had to clean the kitty litter, put the clothes in the dryer, wash the last few dishes, deposit checks with my tablet, get the trash ready for trash day, etc.  It becomes maddening.

When I get to bed late, I feel as if I have had no time to myself.  I like to read before bed.  I like to say the rosary while I am in bed.  I often talk to my son in his room before his eyes start to get heavy. Some nights I get very anxious about what I have to do the next day.  I usually feel this way on Sunday nights.

Do you relate to any of my "stressful complaints?"

I had a nice morning.  I did a 20 minute work out.  I made my son's lunch, and got my water bottles ready for work.  I started a load of laundry.  I kept it non-rushed.  And I felt calm.

I also did something different.  I started my Day #2 change.
I made breakfast but didn't eat it.
How odd is that?

On vacation, I ate too much at dinner.  This sounds so typical, right?  We grilled a couple of nights, ate out one night and I seemed to overeat.  I was off my routine and at times was crazy hungry.  Of course, that's no excuse to overeat, but that's what happened.

During the mornings I skipped breakfast because I still had that full feeling when I woke up.  I drank a lot of water.  I drank my favorite energy drink because it aids digestion, and I ate lunch around 12 or 1.

So, skipping breakfast was a good idea during vacation.  I also decided to do it today, as well.  This may sound corny but I don't like eating so early in the morning.  I have done it to fuel up, but my stomach feels too full.  It's not because I eat a large breakfast, but I don't think my stomach acid is ready to go that early in the morning.  I like eating around 10 AM when I have a real hunger feel, so today I made my bacon and eggs and packed them in my cooler for later.  I also had a small container of homemade Paleo cereal which I snacked on, as well.  (I'll talk about Paleo later)

Because I eat too quickly in the morning, I don't enjoy it and my stomach feels bloated and full.  Because I follow the ideas of the paleo/primal lifestyle, I thought waiting makes sense and it would help me feel less stressed.

I had a green drink while I exercised and then ate my breakfast at 9:30.  My schedule may not always allow this so flexibility is needed.  I also note that at the office I do more grazing.  I nibbled at my breakfast when I had a moment, so I was not rushed and not filling up quickly.  I am hoping this will help me get rid of my winter gut.

In summary of my first two days:

I don't need to add stress to my day.  Adequate sleeps is the first defense.  Simplifying the morning routine despite the necessary chores is certainly doable.

Now, it is almost time for bed.  I wanted to have some computer time before bed, so I kept myself busy once we got home.  We were home around 6:30.  Laundry was started soon enough, and I took care of my deposits and got the dishes done.
I felt focused.  Many past nights I feel like collapsing and procrastinated, This also contributed to my staying up late.

Tonight I am ready for bed by 8:15.  I am getting my son ready for his bath at 8:30 and we will be in bed by 9.

Did I worry and ruminate about my long day tomorrow?  Maybe I did two hours ago, but all I want to do now is turn out the lights relaxed, and calm.
And I think it is working.

Day One...Vacation Wake Up Call

Already procrastinating.   I've had a great blog idea running through my mind all day and here it is 8:30 in the evening.   I had to finish the dishes first and get a load of laundry going.

Welcome to Live Like Vacation!

How was this born?  Here is the story.

I got back from a one week vacation in Florida visiting relatives.  I live in Upstate New York and hubby wanted to get out of the snow and cold.  Well, in all honesty, I hated the idea.  I fought it.  In fact, I told myself I was very happy and didn't feel the need to go anywhere.

He also only gave me a two week notice to get the office ready.  Being closed for four days made me absolutely panicked.  How could I do that to my practice members?  I figured if they wanted to get adjusted on Friday, the day I came back, it wouldn't mess up their adjusting schedules.

I also had to pay my bills in advance.  Not a very fun juggle, but each week it is a juggle. I am happy to  say it all fell into place, but I was quite the grump the first week of planning.   I guess this shows I like to keep things in control.  After all, when you get careless or carefree, you soon regret it.  As a solo practitioner, it is not an easy stress to deal with, but I was doing fine until someone decided to change my plans at the last minute.  I will revisit these words later and analyze them.  Stay tuned.

So, we spent a week in Florida with no major schedule to keep.  We got up when we wanted, sat around the house much of the time.  We read, watched TV, forced ourselves to watch a kid movie with the kid, visited relatives, cooked out and walked.

I did some laundry as needed, picked up a few things from the store, but that was it in the errands department.  We had no mail to open, we had no bills to pay, we had no jobs, no offices, and no school, no meetings, no basket ball practice.

What made it so nice was that we were not at home.  Most holidays and days off at home are not relaxing.  Do you agree?

So, we have been back home for 2 1/2 days already and I realize I am so tired I can barely move.  I was sitting in church zoned out at times.  I was listening but I felt like my body was in its own trance.  My body was so fatigued I could feel it preventing my brain cells from fully participating in the mass.

How could this be?  It is the weekend after all and I just got back from a vacation.  I am back home and having this dreadful feeling when just a week ago I had no desire to leave town.

I didn't know what I was missing.  Take that in slowly...... I did not know what I was missing.  The vacation experience was pleasurable and the way I was treating my weekend was horrible.  I love my weekends, but today I am recoiling at how I feel at the moment.

I've got to get the feel of my vacation back.  I need to recreate it and keep it alive during my typical vacation-less days.  I have to hold on to the "vacation me" somehow even though I will be working and running a business.

I have to do it in steps.  Small steps.

I took an inventory of my weekend and decided on one small step.  I will go to bed at 9 PM every night.   I was in bed between 9:30 and 10 while on vacation.  I actually enjoyed going to bed.  I had no leftover brain drain seeping out of my mind so I was in a good mood and looking forward to sleep.  Then I was awake at 7 AM each day.  I got up without that wrecked feeling and looked forward to some quiet alone time.

What was I doing over the weekend back home from vacation?  I was cramming in chores and then trying to unwind by watching a movie in bed.  Staying up until 11:30 PM was my downfall.  I knew I would hate how I felt in the morning.  So, going to bed early is step #1 to retain that vacation feeling.

Looking back over the past year, I have not been getting to bed  until 10:30 or 10:45.  When I stay up even later on the weekends, it is a bad pattern.  This is no longer the way it's going to be from now on.  I did it on vacation so why should now be any different?

In my next blog posts I will address what it was like to leave all the errands and worries behind for a week.  I want that feeling back.  I will work on that next.  I hope you enjoy the journey.

In the end, this is about health.  The big idea is having a healthy outlook on work, enjoying life and getting out of ruts.  And the clock just hit 9.
Good night.