If you’re a workholic, going on vacation is like detoxing. You know you need it, it’s going to feel amazing, but the first few days are really fucking hard. (For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, good for you. I envy you.)

As a business-owner, the vacation struggle becomes even more real. Despite having employees, you still worry that you’re missing important emails, that balls are being dropped. You’re basically having work FOMO.

I’m on vacation right now, so this has been on my mind lately. However, I’ve burnt out enough times to know that my mental health comes first.

Here are some practices I’ve cultivated to preserve my sanity:
 

• When you wake up (before you look for your phone), take a moment to be grateful. A new day means new opportunities to learn about yourself. Pledge to be present and kind to yourself.
   
• Do an energy visualization to protect yourself from whatever will happen that day. My favorites are painting my body in gold or wrapping myself in a bubble. (Weird, I know. But seriously, try it.)
   
• Make a to-do list. Put it in order of priority. Pick the 3-5 things that if you don’t do them, the house will burn down. Everything else? Move it to another piece of paper and ONLY look at it when you finish the priorities. 
   
• When things (or people) stress you out, ask yourself from 1-5, how much do you care? Your time and energy is precious and finite so does this really deserve your agita?
   
• At the end of the work day, go through your to-do list and remake it for tomorrow. 
   
• Before you go to sleep, remind yourself that nothing matters as much as your well-being. Your work is you but you are not your work. 

Enough emailing, I’m off to get a mojito.

Now go get paid.

X Claire