Three weeks off – what is it like?

I think everyone has had a tough time detaching during the pandemic. “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” is an old adage that doesn’t apply to these times. Sometimes when you love something, you care too much about it, and that can sometimes lead to empathy burnout.

I finished up my work with my last job, which was a true highlight of my life. I didn’t imagine myself separating, but I realized I needed to make some time to reset. Taking three days off during a week wasn’t enough to really enjoy the simple pleasures of the world. I decided to take three weeks.

1. It generally takes 1.5 weeks for me to relax.
   This is something that kind of stinks to have to realize. No matter how hard I try, that first week or so always seems to be spent wound up for me – and that’s fine – so long as you just trust that eventually, you WILL relax if you give yourself that space (though it may not be the image you have of relaxation in your head).
2. Some distance allows truths to come forward.
   Getting a moment to separate myself from the Sisyphian problems that I’d like to solve made me realize a few ways that I was unintentionally tripping myself up, and where I was expecting allies, but not finding them.
3. Social Media will try to take up all of your spare time.
   I’ve tried not to, but posts on instagram, linkedin and facebook, as well as the inevitable youtube rabbit hole tended to take up my time. Maybe it’s time for a social media fast. I did find time to FaceTime some friends, which helped though. I was generally trying to keep busy by having a schedule – going for a walk, picking a small project around the new house, and making progress on a book.

Speaking of books – I finished Johann Hari’s Lost Connections. One of the insights that he had was “Depression and anxiety, might, in one way, be the sanest reaction you have. It’s a signal.” After spending some time with my thoughts, it’s pretty clear that my body was trying to tell me something – and I’m glad I took some time to listen. I know that not everyone has that privilege – but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it, or that those other people shouldn’t be afforded the same privilege.