By Declan Noone
I am exhausted.
I am sure many of you are too. It has been a difficult first half to 2020 and I feel like that this is the understatement of the year! In reality, it has been a ‘sh*t’ show. Plans made, both personally and professionally, have not just been destroyed but eviscerated. I have run the gambit of human emotions, sometimes in the same day. I have adopted some bad habits over the last few months, discarded them, found better habits and very deliberately attempted to keep them present in my life. I am blessed to have many positive relationships and they have been critical to helping me maintain my focus and mental health.
However, I am not always a happy bunny and I don’t pretend to be one. The rollercoaster of the good, the bad and the ugly over the last 6 months has left me drained. I am not alone here. So for the month of August I intend to focus on my renewal. Why? Well, because we all know that the latter half of 2020 will not be an easy ride for any business in any industry. To face those unique set of circumstances we all need to refuel our energy and personal wellbeing tanks.
So here are my own personal insights on renewal, and it’s about self-care:
Switch off
Disconnect from work. Set aside not just your laptop but also your phone. Have the out of office in place and ensure you have briefed whomever is covering you while you are gone. Be deliberate and make sure everyone in your private life knows you are disconnecting. That way they can alert you when you start to creep back into your emails, messages and work calls. It’s not easy, but you can’t reasonably expect to arrive back renewed if you never mentally left the place. You are doing you, your family and your colleagues a disservice by not fully using the time off to heal and renew.
Indulge yourself
you are on holiday now is not the time to think you can all of a sudden start creating new, healthy habits. If you intend to then pick one not many, but do allow yourself to ‘let go’ a bit. Indulge yourself and what you want, allow yourself to say ‘its ok, I am on holiday’. Have fun but remember excesses will drain you as well, so don’t overdo it.
Family & Friends
They were so important during lockdown. They helped sustain and support you. So spend time with them, be present and actively engage with them. Show them how much you value and love them. Renew your relationships by investing in them. Make new memories, share new experiences and let them know how much they mean to you.
Have fun!
Do something you love, do something new, do something just for the sake of it. I for one am learning to play the Ukulele this August. It arrived in the post this morning. I do not have a musical note in my head but my eldest son has started to learn how to play it and I thought it would be fun to do it together. I just thought ‘why not?’, if nothing else it will be fun and give us both something to laugh about over the next while.
My business partner Armin Forstner and I hope that you take the opportunity to renew and self-care this August. What remains of 2020 promises to be anything but boring so we will all be going back to our wells of energy many times before the end of the year. Care for yourself now, enjoy the experience, spend with those that matter, keep a smile on your face and we will see you again in September.
