In modern-day society, many people work so hard that they would even feel guilty when they are not working. When I was a workaholic, I felt guilty while watching TV at night. But after figuring out the importance of work/life balance, now I have found a way to smell the roses without feeling guilty!
It all started with an international trip in 2019.
I went to Europe in 2019 and had a 2-month holiday. Because I was a workaholic, I brought my laptop with me – I wanted to do some work while traveling in Europe.
During those two months, I worked for three hours every morning and visited places of interest in the afternoon. Surprisingly, I noticed that during that trip, my productivity at work was probably the highest in the past ten years. Further analysis reveals that although I only worked for three hours each day at that time, I achieved more at work because I felt very energized due to interesting activities in the afternoon. Therefore, it is clear that a healthy work/life balance is good for my work and my life.
What’s more, I had delicious food at very nice restaurants when I was in Europe, so that helped me to rejuvenate as well. As a result, I felt better when I was working on my laptop every morning.
Since I was very inspired because of that experience, I’ve changed the way I approach work & life. Now I don’t work for 8 hours each day anymore; instead, I work for 4 hours a day and I focus on high-leverage tasks.
I know I’m very lucky because I’m a freelance writer and I can manage my time without listening to a boss. So, I’m very grateful.
An international trip is a healing tool.
It turns out that many people keep busy because they don’t want to feel certain feelings – they use busyness as a numbing strategy. That is to say, staying busy can be a trauma response.
The risk of slowing down is you might feel certain emotions that you do not want to feel. But by avoiding those emotions, you can’t solve the problem. Hence, I highly recommend therapy, including consulting with a therapist and doing physical activities.
Personally, when I was trying to recover from psychological trauma in my early 20s, I found a retail job which required me to do active work all day every day. That was tremendously helpful because sitting in front of a computer all the time wasn’t the solution. After working in retail for five years and hiring a therapist, I recovered from psychological trauma successfully.
Recent research shows that international trips are amazing healing tools because a trip like that involves expanding your outlook and lots of physical activities. Yes, when you see completely new perspectives and enjoy so many physical activities in an exotic country, you feel better in every way!
“You deserve an indulgent trip. Embrace what you are yearning for!”
