It is socially and politically acceptable to take a sick day when you get the flu or a siness infection. My goal with this post is to introduce the idea of making it socially acceptable to take a “health day” to revitatlize your health, both mentally and psyically.
When most of us go on vacation, we 'enjoy' some food and drink that in or daily life we might not touch as we know it's detrimental to our health. On vacation however, these items all seem to be allowed, leaving us a fleeting moment of joy and then a headache and a couple extra pounds on our waistline when we return. What about a vacation where you come back to normal life rested, recovered, clear headed and perhaps down a pound or two?
Many of the worlds great business leaders are known for taking extended breaks from work and have found that many of their best and most creative ideas are hatched on these retreats. Bill Gates famously takes 2 weeks off per year to think and read.
When was the last time you set aside dedicated time to just think? Clear your mind? Reflect on what you've been through over the last days, weeks, months, years? When was the last time you sat down and wrote out your goals/dreams/wishes? We owe it to ourselves in this fast moving world to hit the pause button and stop and think.
With the news, social media and the constant pressure to be in the know and constantly involved, we forget about ourselves.
The reason we started the 2020 Experience, a 2-day immersive health retreat designed to bring you back to center both mentally and physically, is to help those who are dedicated to improving their health. The retreat typically takes place on a Thursday and Friday and one piece of feedback we've received is “I really wish it were on a weekend - I can't take off work.” These same people have no problem taking off work when they have a cold yet when it comes time to investing in our health, we're all a little hesitant.
The lost productivity over the course of two days will be more than made up for in the following weeks as you learn to think more clearly, sleep better, and improve your nutrition. If anything, your boss should be begging you to go on this retreat as it's going to make you a more productive member of the team.
Over 50% of all employees in 2017 took up to 5 sicks days off throughout the year. I find the utterly inexcusable as we have all the tools in the world to maintain our health yet we sabotage our bodies with refined food and drink, poor quality sleep, excess stress, little or no activity, and a lack of natural sunlight.
I'm calling for more “Personal Health” days where you engage in something like the 2020 Experience that takes you out of your day to day life and help you rewire habits that are lost in the daily shuffle. Reconnect with yourself, reset your system, and please promise your boss that these two days off will be the best thing they ever let you do to improve your productivity.
There is a saying when it comes to meditation that we can apply to taking a couple days for yourself say's someone about meditation “If you can't afford to meditate for 20 minutes, you should be meditating 60 minutes per day”
So for those of you who can't afford to take a day off, You should take two. Many of us might not be able to take two full weeks off like Bill Gates does every year, however 2 days is something that is incredibly manageable in the grand scheme of your health and productivity.
The future of Wellness is not going to be how much you can do in the gym or how long you can go - it's going to be how well can you recover and down regulate from the stresses of life. We've all found that with a little caffeine, some screen time and natural stress, we're able to 'function' at a relatively high level. This undoubtedly leads to burn out and or aging.
If you want to turn back the dial, regain composure of your health - mentally and physically, join us May 3-4th for the next 2020 Experience. For more info and to sign up- It could very well be one of the best things you do for your health in 2018.
At the very least - take a little time for yourself. Even 5 minutes to just think and relax. Your health depends on it.
