As a freelancer, I’m often working non-stop, without a solid rest from work for years. The pace is not bad. It can be quite relaxed. Still, working day after day for years can lead to burnout, and it makes sense to take a week off now and then.
I let things go for too long, and recently I decided that I needed to take off a full month from work. The idea was to give me time to focus my attention on other things, and get a nice relaxing “reset”.
I’m now in the middle of my vacation. It has been very refreshing. Unfortunately, as happens too frequently for me, I came down with a cold. I took two tests for COVID on two separate days and both were negative. I think it’s just a rhinovirus. Even so, it’s annoying to get sick while on vacation. I’m stuck in the house, sneezing and coughing, instead of out having fun.
Why do I get sick on vacation so frequently? Is it just a coincidence? According to Andrew Huberman, a drop in adrenaline can lead to a lowered immune response.. Well - that’s the whole point of a vacation, right? To lower your stress levels. I don’t know if his solution works (check out the video for more) but from now on I’m going to be extra careful about social distancing and wearing a mask when I go on vacation! COVID has been a disaster for everyone, but a small benefit is that it has made wearing a mask socially acceptable. Most people won’t question it if you go into a grocery store or restaurant wearing a mask. I probably should have been doing that as a precaution, anyway.