Freedom Days to Restore Your Energy

"If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it." ~Herodotus

Achieving a healthy balance in life requires discipline, your ability to set some boundaries and then persistence to make it happen.

I'm in North Carolina on vacation this week. I enjoy hanging out with my friends! I take my vacation time very seriously.

We all have busy lives and it's really important to power down and take time away from the 'do-do' of doing and spend some time 'being.' Otherwise you can easily lose focus on what's really important in your life and why you're actually doing the busy stuff anyway!

Okay, the last thing you instinctively want to do is to slow down! You haven't got time to slow down because you've got too much stuff to do right?

Holiday or vacation time can be easily put off until later. Personal time at the weekend is lost to the mercy of busy-ness. It's used to 'catch up' and finish the work we were unable to do during the week.

Exhaustion and tiredness soon sets in because you are always on the go.

That's why it's so important to STOP and take some time out to relax, regenerate, reconnect and renew your love affair with life!

STOP and take a break...

I call this time Freedom Time and it involves no work-related activity at all. You can take a Freedom Day, Freedom Weekend or even a Freedom Week!

Here's how I create mine...

• Schedule pockets of Freedom Time and commit to it (A day, weekend or week). Book several long weekends or weeks a year. These could be trips away from home. If you don't make a plan - it WON'T happen!

• Set some Boundaries - A Freedom Day is where everything is powered down - phones and computers. The day is COMPLETELY work free. Don't read the newspapers, watch television or listen to the radio. Ring fence this as high value quality time that is NOT to be compromised. Teach other people how to treat you during your Freedom Time. Over time they will get the message that you have some boundaries and that this is a good thing.

• Out of Office - Commit to being out of YOUR office. Whatever your 'office' is. This could be your busy home life as well as your work. You're not contactable or available to anyone: staff, colleagues, co-workers, boss and even family (unless of course there is a REAL emergency). It's interesting how some urgent things aren't really that important.Yet we get sucked into the drama and give up our Freedom Day so willingly! DON'T fall for it!

• Delegate Responsibility and Ownership - Allow others to take responsibility and ownership for their own decisions during your Freedom Day. It's time for them to put on their own 'big girl/boy panties' and handle things for themselves. They get to learn how to make their own decisions instead of relying on you all the time and being 'order takers' in their own life. They start to build self-confidence and get to develop their own decision-making muscles. Stop being a rescuer or a victim!

• Focus on Fun - Re-connect with things that you like doing. What do you REALLY enjoy doing? I regularly go back to nature. I LOVE hiking and immersing myself in the beauty of nature surrounding me. I love trees, animals, birds and even insects! Feeling the mountain breeze or rain on my face really invigorates me. I feel wide awake and alive again. Create your own list of what fun means for you. Here are a few of my favourite things to do on a Freedom Day or weekend (Don't do them ALL at once!):

• Hiking
• Massage or acupuncture
• Book a weekend in a hotel in the country or by the beach
• Spa Day
• Walking by the sea
• Hanging out with friends I've not seen for a while
• Having a meal in a restaurant and really enjoying the food and company
• Cycling
• Skiing
• Sleeping in
• Visiting another country
• Getting room service!

Freedom Days are all about restoring energy. You may have work withdrawal symptoms for the first day or so, but you'll soon re-adjust and embrace your Freedom Time. Things slow down and begin to feel wonderful as the constant chatter in your head stops.

By creating some freedom time into your life I guarantee that you will become more rested, relaxed and more productive when you return to your busy life.

Stepping away from the 'do-do' of doing really helps you to re-focus on what really is important in your life.

How are you going to spend your freedom time?

Get a copy of the highly recommended book by Don Ruiz. Click the image below to learn more. 

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