By Nadine Araksi, Toronto-based Story Coach

You subtly browse Expedia for deals while you’re in a meeting.

You research “Best beaches in ___” while a family member is trying to tell you about their day.

You feel totally stressed out and you’re using every ounce of reserve you have just to make it to your next week off.

You can’t wait to step into “vacation you” and that feeling of escape when you cut the cord with your list of five million things to do.

It’s time to look at your life in between your vacations.

But how to start doing that?

First, decide that you’re going to commit to looking at your non-vacation life, even if you might not like what you see. Second, brainstorm how you could bring novelty into your daily life. That doesn’t mean upping your daily Wordle game to Quordle or signing up for a cooking class with your partner. If you’re reading this, we know you’re a creative enough human that if this was your job, you’d come up with some truly intriguing ideas.

You have to be willing to do things differently, and that’s going to feel uncomfortable at first. (Let me guess, no one else in your household knows how to load the dishwasher properly, but you.) That might mean getting real about what you are willing to let go of (AKA deprioritize, delegate, automate or outsource) so you can make time for what thrills you.

You’re going to have to reconnect with what it feels like to enjoy life when you’re not on vacation, and you’re going to start small, really small. You’re going to start looking at everything that makes your life insufferable (unpleasant, boring, not fun). 
 

Build a life you don’t need to escape from

You’re going to break the binary between vacation mode and non-vacation mode, without being reckless, or neglecting your beloved humans, pets and other responsibilities. 

Just like making a packing list and checking your bags before take-off makes you breathe that sigh of relief, doing this kind of assessment will give you clarity and make you feel more in control. While ups and downs are inevitable, you’ll have a life you’re not always trying to escape from. And it will be easier to not get thrown off when things don’t go as planned. 

Bonus: you’re going to enjoy your vacations more because you’re not going to have the fear of that first Monday back hanging over you. 

If you can plan a trip six months from now (while pandemic uncertainty still looms) then you can plan for the life you want.

Book a consult with Stephanie today and see how we can help you prioritize more “post-vacation glow” right from where you are right now.

-Nadine

P.S. Find out how to work with me if you're ready to break the patterns keeping you stuck and get out of your own way: Let's talk.

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