Can you use vacation to prevent burnout?
I may have some bad news for you. Preventing burnout is never as easy as simply taking a vacation. Part of the big problem we have in America with our culture of burnout is the idea that you can fix your burnout with a day off. Fixing your exhaustion, your overwhelm takes much more work than a nice holiday.
Now. We’re not saying that taking time off is not a big part of preventing burnout. It is 100% essential. But, the problem lies in the fallacy that if we just take enough vacation each year, we can continue all our other harmful habits the rest of the time.
We cannot prevent burnout without balance. Real, authentic balance has to be the goal, not merely the stopping of working. What does real balance look like? Check out this blog on How to Move From Burnout to Balance for more.
Preventing burnout is kinda complicated.
For our money, preventing burnout means taking the time to understand yourself better. It also means spending some time figuring out what self-care practices work for you. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend our 4 R’s of Burnout Prevention model. Our 4 R’s are:
- Rest: what does real rest look like for you? Hint: it’s not just sleep, though that is really important.
- Rejuvenation: what brings you joy? Do more of it.
- Realignment: what reminds you who you are? You are important but not imperative. Realignment is all about perspective.
- Reconnection: who are the people who help you find the first 3 R’s? Spend more time with them.
Can you use vacation to prevent burnout? Sure, it’s possible. But only if it’s part of a much larger set of practices. We all need to take time to remember that we are worthy of stopping. We still have value if we are not producing. And that we deserve to do things that bring us joy.
If you want to learn more about the 4 R’s, check out our book HERE.
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