Through Burnout and Back: Really Taking a Break

I'm currently on vacation, and for the second such vacation in a row, I am taking a real break.

You see, for several years, I didn't do a very good job of taking such breaks.  I believe it helped contribute to burning out

My family and I still traveled away from Cat Spring and visited family and friends; yet, there was still a connection to the church and work: the cell phone.

You know, that technological blessing/terror that has evolved into a hand held computer complete with email, voice, text, and internet.  Our quest to "stay connected" has evolved into just that.  We're always connected.  We can't get away.  We stay tethered no matter how much distance we put between ourselves and work.

For more vacations than I can remember, I'd answer the phone when it rang even if the caller ID showed it was a church member.

I'd return texts.

I'd read emails received from the church.

On several occasions, I would hear about the death of a church member and spend more than a few hours in funeral preparation during my scheduled vacation.

Not anymore.

From now on, I'm really taking my breaks.

No more returning texts.

No more checking church related emails.

I'll check my voice mail when folks call.  If there is a major emergency that requires my attention, I'll return the call. 

Back in the "good ol' days" one could check out.  Leave.  If you wanted to leave a contact number, you did so, but if you weren't staying at a family member's house or a particular location, folks had to wait until you returned.  Vacation was truly vacation.  You could really take a break.

It's back to the good ol' days for me from here on out. 

When you've encountered burnout, you have to do it.  You really need your breaks.  They turn into times of healing that way instead of continuing the process of working--even when hundreds of miles away.