The Importance of Taking Breaks

A year and a half ago, I was hospitalized for irregularities with my blood. What started off as a trip to the emergency room with what I suspected to be food poisoning, ended with a two-night stay at the hospital. In the oncology ward. I was a mess and as I laid in the gurney swearing to myself to make lifestyle changes, I counted the stucco ceiling tiles as a way to comfort my wild mind.

I was released with medication and strict orders to follow up with a hematologist every month for a year. Since then my body has strengthened, but there are still a few things I want to improve in regard to my health. While I regularly practice yoga, have routine visits to a massage therapist, and weekly acupuncture treatments, I have a hard time healing my mind.

I'm the type of person who over-thinks over-thinking. I lay in bed at night unable to sleep because I'm making lists of things to do (grocery lists, email lists, to-do lists, people-to-hug lists), and finding ways to continue following my dreams. But sometimes thinking gets in the way living and this causes my brain to succumb to stress and lethargy.

In light of this, JD and I carve time in our calendars to just be. We share a Google calendar and block out days for resting and catching up…and we also add time for vacations. We've discovered that every time we return from a vacation, we've got a new idea to execute or a project that'll push us creatively. The minute we prioritized rejuvenation, the more effective we were throughout the year.

Last week we spent five days in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I wish I could write we went whale watching…or deep sea fishing…or made tortillas, but we did none of that. In fact, we did none of anything. We slept in, we went running on the beach, we ate our weight in guacamole, we watched the sunset. We let our minds heal.

We're already planning a summer getaway. It seems counterintuitive to plan a vacation during the busiest time of the wedding season, but it's the very thing that keeps us ready and hungry to finish the year strong. I'm thankful to spend time with my best friend and look forward to 2014 being a year of complete health.

If you have ideas of where we should vacation this summer, I'm all ears! Let me know because I'm up for a new adventure!