THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE RECOVERY

If you are like me, a passionate person about your work, you may tend to invest yourself in what stimulates you professionally, even in your free time. Others will be motivated to work during their vacations because of their need for performance or even control of results.

I also observe, in those who have literally given everything during the previous months, a real difficulty in recovering in terms of energy, concentration and motivation. In this case, vacations are unfortunately synonymous with convalescence. Moreover, to illustrate the difficulty in recharging when your "battery" is literally flat, think of your cell phone. Have you ever noticed how long it can be before it displays only a simple "connecting to charge" signal when it is completely empty? It's the same for you.

In order to help you recover well, but also to maintain the benefits when you return from vacation, I am sharing here some ideas and advice from neuroscience research.

THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE RECOVERY

The key to good recovery lies in active cognitive rest. At first glance, the use of the words “rest” and “active” in the same concept may seem paradoxical, even counterintuitive for the human species, which most of the time wants passivity and inaction after having put in so much effort at work.

Of course, experiencing moments when the body and mind are physically on pause feels good, but for a limited period… Check out my latest article The Grip of Performance and the Desire for Perfection in which I present the stress utility curve. When there is little stress and you are inactive, boredom and fatigue appear. But why is fatigue felt after sleep and a period of inaction? It's simple: humans need to be healthily stimulated (just the right amount of "stress") to energize and feel optimal, even on vacation. However, a trap persists, that of activating yourself on your usual tasks or on those that "wait" for you, or even ruminating on them…

Concretely, active cognitive rest is the art of turning off the part of your brain usually stimulated by your work and your daily routine, while activating another part that is not used to being activated. This is when the real recovery process begins. Going to the beach while working on a new professional project or staying at home to finalize the layout of the latter are actions that can certainly be satisfying, however they will not be restful for you!

Resourcing strategies

To fully regain your cognitive, physical, mental and emotional abilities, I suggest you first:

1. Make a list of your daily tasks, whether professional or personal. Ideally, this list will become a list of “not to do” items.

2. Experiment with new activities. You will probably need to step out of your comfort zone to vary your hobbies and discover new passions that do not involve mental processes similar to those on the avoid list.

Additionally, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, work-life balance researcher and author of the best-selling book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity , says in one of her TED Talks that the recovery strategies you choose should restore you in seven of your most important areas of life: physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual.

In connection with his recommendations, I suggest some thoughts; I invite you to keep them preciously, but above all, to address them daily once you return to work. The fruit of your answers will become your best source of rest.

1. What does your body need? Slow down, activate, stretch, overtake…

2. What thoughts or concerns would you like to calm?

3. What sources of stimulation could you limit to find a sense of calm? Screen, light, telephone, noise, conversations…

4. What would you like to contemplate, quite simply, to find your inspiration again?

5. What is it in you that is asking to be heard?

6. Who in your circle of friends who is healthy and positive would you like to meet or, conversely, who would you need to distance yourself from?

7. What would help you reconnect with your senses, with what is greater than yourself? Think about love, nature, intimacy, meditation, writing…

Now all you have to do is plan your strategic vacation plan!