The Importance of Restoration
By: Josh Smith
Tags: Restoration, Work, Work Life Balance, Life Lessons, Vacation

I have not felt this rested in years. I recently returned from a ten-day trip to Europe with sixteen fellow classmates where we hopped across the Mediterranean coast of France and Spain. The odd thing is that I do not think I have ever been more sleep deprived in my life — but somehow I still feel more rejuvenated than I can remember.

On the flight back I pondered what made this trip different. I finally realized that the trip was more than a vacation; it was a restoration.

We all know that life gets crazy. It does not matter how hard you work, there is always one more deadline to meet or one more errand to run. Even when there is “down time,” there are a multitude of distracting outlets like social media and Netflix.

There is such a thing as “good stress,” which pushes us to meet life head on even when we are dealing with setbacks. But the reality is that the grind of chasing success — whatever the definition is for each of us personally — takes an emotional toll. Over time, the stress saps our drive and resolve, whittling us down into versions of ourselves that are ill-equipped to meet life’s challenges.

There are ways to buffer the impact: weekend trips, short vacations, daily meditation, and so on. I tend to default to a three-day weekend in order to “stay above water.” Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I take a Friday off to catch up personally or professionally. However, it feels more like the short break during an interval run than recovery.

That is not to say that smaller, strategic breaks are not useful — I find them critical to my success throughout the year. But I have focused more on the small breaks at the expense of true restoration. I have been missing the ability to put all responsibilities on hold and extricate myself from reality. While I may enjoy a day off, I will often check emails and social media outlets. The long weekends never replenish the energy that life depletes.

Maybe you have already unlocked this insight and have made it a habit to take at least one restorative trip per year. If not, I urge you to do it as soon as possible and see if you find similar calmness and rejuvenation in the process.

It is critical to plan a trip that is long enough to allow you transition away from your reality. Personally, it takes me about three days of vacation before my urges to check email, Instagram, and reddit have subsided. These habits distract me from the vacation and eat into the precious time that I have available for rejuvenation. I find it too difficult to go cold turkey so I give myself some time to slowly transition. Planning a trip that is long enough for this process is key to successful restoration.

While it may seem obvious, be sure to take a trip that you want spend a week or more enjoying. Be self-aware when planning your restoration. If you become a better version of yourself when you are in the outdoors, do not city-hop through Europe. The goal is to plan activities that enhance your ability to fully live in the present. I personally enjoy beaches and cities, which is why my trip was perfect for me: we spent the vast majority of our time chilling at the beach, dancing in nightclubs, and eating at great restaurants in cities like Barcelona and Nice. It is exactly what I needed to recharge ahead of what will be a crazy year of MBA classes and career recruiting.