The summer months got me thinking. We all know the point of our annual summer holiday is for the three Rs – to rest, relax and restore – but in reality the quieter times in life are those when I really start to think. Maybe it’s time we called it the 4 Rs and include regenerate in there?
We need time away from work to have a clean break from the day to day things we manage – people, patients, practice, learning, meetings and everything else that forms the shape of our working week. It’s fast-paced and isn’t designed to give us chance to sit back and reflect.
Almost by accident, this time out, holiday-based, ‘stepping back’ gives us chance to look at what we do and how we do it - with far greater objectivity. When we take ourselves out of our usual routine it’s like we become an observer of our own lives. It’s in this detached state that we can see things in a different dimension.
You can approach reflection in several ways – some people practise mindfulness, breathing or journaling, some examine their life through counselling or therapy, there are even thinking courses you can attend. I prefer to switch off completely and let the thoughts flow. Every once in a while I am inspired or troubled by a passing thought and decide to examine it further – or put it to one side until the family holiday is over. Putting the family first is so important because when we’re back in the busy-ness of business, they don’t always get the same full attention.
One of the most valuable things about reflecting is that we can see the whole picture but choose which parts might need a little work or change (or maybe, if you’re lucky, there are no tweaks needed at all, imagine). You can compartmentalise a little more effectively and hold your thoughts until you’re ready to take some action. Holidays, down-time and thinking time isn’t for action, that’s really important. If we make the reflection process about doing something there and then we wouldn’t be relaxed and removed enough to form the thoughts in the first place. Making a plan, organising ourselves and making change is a whole next step.
And it’s not just summer holidays that allow us this time for reflection so you don’t need to pack a suitcase and board a plane to get the benefits. It can be literally anytime – it’s a question of being disciplined enough to stop what you usually do and change your scenery. Maybe we should try and carve out time when we stop and do nothing during the other 51 weeks of the year, even if it’s a simple walk or hour’s meditation. I’m going to put it in the diary and call it ‘regeneration’.