The start of a Thanksgiving week in Sedona. Changing weather reminds me to celebrate and honor each moment of life–the storms as well as the sun. ENJOY! 
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USA TODAY ( October 8,2011) posted a survey in which only 43% of employed professionals return from vacation relaxed and less stressed.
Wonder why? Answer: In my opinion, it’s all the tools we use to stay connected to the office. And tools take a toll. How much courage does it take to unplug? What stops us? Fear we will miss something? Ego says we’re invaluable? Maybe the world as we know it will end?
Hardly.
Put on an auto responder that says to CALL if it’s an emergency.
Don’t be surprised if no one calls you. The higher up in the organization you go, the more you are developing the team around you by letting THEM carry the ball for awhile.
There’s a grassroots movement in the U.S. and Canada that has taken hold: It’s called Take Back Your Time. What a novel approach: to think we might actually make some personal choices for leisure and family; for renewal and simplicity.
“Foolish in this economy,” you say.
Not so fast. There’s a growing body of research that finds a correlation between leisure and innovation; between health and play; between employee retention and time off. Check out this Summer newsletter
It won’t take you long to read it. Skim for what appeals. And then, shut off the technology. (I know: unplug from even me!) Go skip, hop,run or saunter to whatever gives you a sense of calm and joy. (I sure hope it’s not the TV).Get outside. Walk in the rain puddles. Oh yes– if you live in the right place, you can even become a kid again and catch lightning bugs!
Whether vacation or a staycation– here’s to YOUR time.
Colleen DeBaise has a four page article on All Business about our obsession with technology and what can happen when we try to break our addiction. Filled with interesting stories from people with technology addictions DeBaise offers tips and advice for quitting gradually instead of cold turkey. Read the full article at http://www.allbusiness.com/society-social/work-leisure-lifestyle-work/4974378-1.html
Everyone reacts to stress differently. Offering a single stress relieving activity like yoga classes won’t please everyone. To find out what your employees need , consider offering a survey measuring stress levels and asking what stress-relieving activities each employee enjoys. Take the most popular choices and act on them. Negotiate discounted memberships at local gyms, bring in yoga teachers, hire a licensed masseuse to give chair massages. Some companies have a quiet room for meditation breaks. If money is an issue, partner with your health insurance company or EAP to offer something that the company can afford. The worst response is to do nothing and the best response is to try something and then measure the results and act accordingly.
