The Mid-life Sabbatical
Ready to quit it all? What would you do with a year off work?
Have you seen this abc clip yet? Mom Takes Mid-life Gap Year. A 42 year old woman was feeling burned out and is taking a gap year. While a 1 year sabbatical can sound great, not all of us have access to this right now. Here’s how to start NOW and go from impossible to non-negotiable.
Here are some simple ways to start layering in a feeling of sabbatical into your everyday life.
Minutes
-Take 10 minutes to sit with your coffee. Order the perfect drink and sit back and observe the world around you or grab your favorite book
-Take a 10 minute walk break with a co-worker to recharge and re-energize
-Grab your kid and do something silly and undistracted together
Hours
-Schedule lunch with yourself once a month
-cut out of work an hour early, use good stress to finish up fast, and take that time for YOU. Stop at the sauna, take a class, try something new
-Create a buffer between your work and home life, listen to a great audiobook, walk around the lake, meet up with a friend for a quick HH snack
Days
-Schedule a Friday off of work 1x a month that is for you! Not for your family or catching up on work. This is for play, fun, and exploration.
Sign up to try rock climbing
Try a new class at the gym
Go for a hike
-Take a long weekend away. GO with yourself or an easy friend and just do what YOU want to do.
With my coaching clients they often are so stuck in stress that they can’t find space for themselves and feel like they are missing out on their own lives. When you step away and take time for yourself you come back to your executive functioning brain. Big picture thinking. Problem Solving. Empathy. This is where you can course correct and find clarity. When you step OUT of stress.
Once a year I take a long weekend trip to Tahoe. I hike, sleep, swim, and actually chew my food and finish my coffee. I come back to myself, appreciate my family, and always have great insights about where I want to go in my life & business the following year. Everyone in my family and my business appreciate the energy and focus I bring back with me. Don’t believe me? Try it out and FEEL the difference.
Don’t forget to invest in your most valuable asset… YOU!