Take the Trip
By: Thea Rendon
When we women think of health, we typically think of hitting the gym before work or throwing together a salad and maybe knocking back some sort of repulsive fad diet shake, in between the chaos of packing school lunches, working a full day, running kids to and from practices, cooking dinner, preparing baths and grappling with bedtime — only to hopefully get a few hours of shut-eye so we can wake up seemingly refreshed to do it all over again, with a smile.
While eating healthy and exercising are great habits, this type of “run till you drop” lifestyle needs to be supplemented with more gratifying ways to stay healthy.
Can we just all agree that the word “hard” doesn’t even begin to describe what it’s like to be a woman in today’s world? Many working mothers find it nearly impossible to balance their home and work life. We need social interaction, especially following these last couple of years with lots of social isolation. One of the necessities of living a successfully balanced life is to set aside some of our daily demands and truly give ourselves a break. Do yourself a favor and plan a vacation with your girls!
A girl’s getaway is a bond-forming experience where you get to create another, stronger dimension to your friendships and also recognize when a friend may be in need. Being in the company of your tribe for an extended amount of time is liberating. You can laugh and make memories and be so attentive to each other and your own needs that everything else will fade into insignificance. You can be authentically yourself without judgment, and it is truly rejuvenating to the soul.
Based on my experiences with girlfriend getaways, these are the top seven reasons why it is vital to take that trip:
1. We need uninterrupted time to talk. The keyword here is UNINTERRUPTED. Yes, we talk, but mostly in between kids running in and asking for things, crying in the background or alerting us of some disaster in the other room.
2. We need to laugh: We are busy ALL THE TIME! We forget to laugh. We forget what it is like to have the pee-your-pants, cheeks-hurt-from-smiling, laugh-till-you-cry moments with our friends.
3. It’s good for your health: Let’s just face it: traveling with our gal pals is good for our mental and physical well-being. It is linked to a reduced risk of depression, lower blood pressure, better cognitive health and higher life expectancy
4. We need to let go: Being in a safe space with our closest friends allows us an opportunity to feel emotions we may have been holding back because of everything else we hold on our shoulders. We may not even be aware that we are sad or lonely because we don’t have the time to think about it! Our girlfriends can help make us feel less lonely or cope with bad experiences and be a shoulder of support.
5. We need to be able to step away from our everyday duties: We need to focus on what makes us happy again. Maybe pieces of you have been lost along the way in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Maybe your girlfriends are just what you need to help you find them again.
6. We need to share experiences: Given time to have deep conversations with each other about careers, relationships, children, hopes and dreams, goals and fears, we are able to connect through shared experiences and give each other advice when needed
7. It makes you a better person: When you are able to refresh and rejuvenate yourself, you will come back to your everyday life a much happier person. Given the time that you need for yourself can make you a better mother, wife, daughter and/or co-worker.
You are the most important thing in your life, believe it or not. Taking care of yourself and your wants, needs, cares and concerns should be a priority to you. When you do this, everything else will fall into place and you will be able to take better care of your relationships, children, career and anything else you have on your plate. The one thing your life should be is effing awesome, and life is just too short to end it with regrets. Do it for your health. Do it for your sanity. Do it because you deserve it. Take the trip!
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Read the rest of this story and more in Issue 25 and National 2 of Lake and Company.