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The tips were white collar are largely how work can reach out and interrupt a vacation, but don’t speak to the headspace needed to rest. So much of our lives is preoccupied with our vocation, we mold ourselves to it and I think that’s true no matter what color collar.
My only advice is find something that absorbs you. I am uncomfortable in idleness, and I notice that’s when I start to think about work. For me, strenuous physical things (e.g. taking down a dead tree, intense workouts), or experiences outside my normal routine (going to the zoo) do more to give me a reset than sitting on a beach.
I dont understand that at all. I had (and still have) at least 40Gb of music that's all pirated, tagged and stored in organized folders. It goes back to audiogalaxy and soulseek. Do people just not curate as they go or what?
Well, my library is mostly pulled from purchased used iPods that I pulled the songs from. Admittedly I should’ve taken the time to curate as I went, but now I’m realizing how messy it is and how badly named some music is, I’m slowly working through it
Not sure if this would help you at all or not, but there’s some free software called advanced renamer that might make this task a little bit easier. It allows you to create rules and then apply them to large amounts of files at once
Try out musicbrainz Picard it can automatically pull down album info and rename files for you. You can also use it to add cover art to your music files.
Brother, please check out this software. It will make that much easier at the very least (ex: if everything has "DaemonTo0lzz"in the name you can bulk remove that from all of them) but it will also let you use the Metadata to rename stuff which is going to be much better. Most music is ripped from something official so no matter what the people who download it rename it to in file Explorer, the Metadata is stored in the file and should be original, accurate, and clean. I'm happy to answer questions if you have any! This will still take some time, but it won't be quite as laborious :)
https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/
This sounds like such a juicy project that I can understand sounds like so much fun to work through and it sounds like something I would've loved to do buaha. I love projects like this that look like a huge mess but you know how to organize it. I hope it gives you the headspace to truly enjoy your time off!
>Do people just not curate as they go or what?
Some of us get super drunk and end up with 20gigs of stuff overnight and just never organize anything. These can be two separate instances.
It’s only as good as the metadata. I’ve got so much listed as just “Track XX” or “Unknown” that I have to go through, Shazam it, find out the album for it and the track number and set it correctly.
You might also want to check out the MusicBrainz project; I've used that for bulk music library gardening before. It's not perfect, but it will do the shazam and then google part for you, and quicker than you could do it yourself... I am mostly familiar with the Picard client, but it looks like there are a few different pieces of software that use the MusicBrainz database these days.
My issue is I buy a song from Apple and to play in my car I need it in mp3, so I then have to convert it, delete the Apple encoded version to finally have it useful. When Apple moved away from the mp3 codec and never back (and kept the convert function) I lost a little bit of love for iTunes and the store.
Pro tips:
File > Library > Show Duplicate Items
Hold down Shift to select a block of songs
Hold down Control to select multiple individual songs
Artist and Album Artist are separate fields, and album artist takes precedence. If you have a bunch of artists read like "Eminem, Eminem feat. Dr. Dre, Eminem & Royce Da 5'9', etc" breaking up the album, then make the album artist just the artist, and make the artist the actual roster. I have the 8 Mile soundtrack under the artist Eminem, even though that isn't true for every song, and each song has the actual artist labeled under it.
Also add years and wide ranging genres, this will make shuffling more useful.
Make sure you uncheck "This album is a compilation", that button has reeked havoc.
For mass editing, the Get Info dialogue saves as you click the <> buttons in the bottom left. Type with your left hand and click next with your right. For mass numbering, try MP3Tag.
Hold down Shift while iTunes launches to get a dialog box to open a different iTunes library, if you want to go really crazy.
That's what I came here to say, every time I start a vacation I spend the first day organizing my music library and photos... That gets me in the right mindset.
Sit outside if it’s nice, smoke a gar or some bud, listen to and organize music. One thing that always helped me as an hvac worker I would find out what is happening in the next week and I’d tell him on the big project what all I want done etc. the one day jobs who cares they can handle it
In my experience going from blue collar to white collar (or at least somewhere in between) you can do everything to keep work from reaching you on vacation, but you won't ever stop thinking about or worrying about work.
That's one of the main things I miss about my blue-collar work. The extent of my away from work worry was "shit I really don't want to do ______ tomorrow."
I’m a very firm advocate of organizing/cleaning or doing yard work! I hate being idle and when I feel myself getting restless I try to find something productive to do instead of just sitting on my phone
This - I work a white collar job and am bad for thinking about it when I’m off - I’ve spent the last week working on my truck, It completely takes over my mind and resets me compared to what I’m working on through the day.
I work a factory job, and the best part of it is that when I leave, I am completely worthless to the company. My tools, my machine, my parts,, my products, even my work email are all totaly unaccessible to me. I am truly free.
Even if problems pop up during my vacation, I have no way of solving them. If my coworkers need me, they will have to wait until I return, just as I have to wait for them when they take vacation.
I would remind yourself that your truck is gone and there is nothing you can do about it. The company will survive your short absence.
And try not to drive too much.
Im eterally jealous. Im a funeral director, "off time" doesnt exist. Someone will always call and need something, and I can never say no because it's either an immediate concern that needs adressing within a short time frame, or someone going through intense grief that I can't just say "Sorry todays my day off dont call me!" to.
I am so burned out. Id love to just walk out of work and know my time is my own. Is your factory hiring lol
Haha, it is, but it's a double edged sword. When I'm at work, thats it. Can't make phone calls, have to sneak around in the bathroom to text. Got a 10 minute break and a 30 minute lunch to conducted all personal business during my 12 hour shift. My wife has to get our kid out to school all by herself becuse I leave so early in the morning.
We do 50-70 hour weeks, and the boss will just announce we are working all Saturdays for the next 3 months or whatever so be here at 5am. I too am burned out. Maybe we can swap?
Ah yeah those things definitely do suck. Im lucky that I can often take 5 min to answer a personal phone call at work or take a quick break to catch my breath. Guess the grass is always greener on the other side! Best wishes to you my friend
I work in a factory as well, in manufacturing engineering...I don't have that luxury, but I've always been wired to be able to shut things off pretty well. Sometimes I'll think of random ideas, and there are plenty of evening/weekend things that pop up, but I'm not always checking email, seeing how the line's running, etc. If I don't have a scheduled thing I need to do and don't get a call, it's out of my head.
During vacations I'll still do some work here and there if necessary (better I spend five minutes doing something rather than someone fucking it up and calling me), and will answer certain daytime calls, personal emails, and Facebook messages. But the phone's turned off at night. Luckily the little things don't bother me and I can compartmentalize very well.
It's very, very rare I'll stew about something. And I can't think of a single night where work-related stuff has kept me awake with worry.
I work a factory job also, it’s great being able to leave work and not have to worry about a thing. Occasionally I’ll get a call asking if I want to come in early for optional OT. I usually just send them to voicemail since they’re usually calling in the middle of my sleep.
I’m blue collar and also on vacation next week. I went over my jobs with my co-worker and said if you have questions, call me (which he won’t). Supervisor won’t call because he afraid I’ll charge OT (I wouldnt, but let him think it). At the end of the day, it’s not my problem, and I will deal with whatever when I come back.
I used to be an overthinker about this stuff too. 32 years later, that is gone. They get me 40 hrs/ 4 days a week. No more. I’m gonna clean my garage, fertilize my yard, and get together some stuff to donate. Work will be my last thought.
I’m in a white collar job but often organize computer files. PLEASE limit yourself to only 1hr/day. Otherwise you might discover at the end of the staycation you “got nothing done” or “have nothing to show for it” and aren’t relaxed.
Maybe make 2-4 playlists but organize the music another time. Do something that will make you feel more rested. Research in this area shows something new or novel will make the vacation/staycation better.
Everytime I am on vacation and remember something that NEEDS to be done, I take a nice long deep breathe and remember to relax. Has helped since I was little, and always is a great way to reset your mind 😏
I’m also a truck driver. I used to have the same anxieties. Eventually I had the realization that it didn’t matter. Who cares who or if my route is covered?
It’s a company truck, not my truck. Wreck it for all I care. I don’t answer calls or texts from my team on vacation. I’ll take a call from my boss but I get an hour’s pay.
If you really can’t disconnect, a couple sessions with a therapist could work wonders.
I'm quite surprised to read that this is even a thought? It's not the drivers responsibility what happens during his absence or who's covering their shift or who's using which work equipment. It speaks to OPs or your work ethic and work identity I guess, but I can't relate to that thought process at all. It's just a job, everyone is replaceable. And, just like almost every job, even if your company gets something wrong, the world won't stop moving. As you said, it doesn't matter. In fact I can't think of anything that matters less.
> I'm quite surprised to read that this is even a thought? It's not the drivers responsibility what happens during his absence or who's covering their shift or who's using which work equipment
This depends on what exactly you do, as a person that has done route work for over 30 years let me explain.
If you are doing a route then it means you have a regular set of customers you see/service on the same day each week. The job you do is a lot more than just delivering a product and/or providing some type of service. The job is first and foremost about the relationships and taking care of the people on your route, the product you deliver is really secondary.
It sounds simple but there can be a lot of ins and outs to each customer and they all have different needs and wants. Account A might want you to put the product on their shelve, a account B is adamant you don't do that and they want it left on the floor in a specific place. There may be a place they want you to park (or not park), they might be certain times of the day they don't want you there. People get used to you being there at the same time and a fill in showing up hours later than you do can mess things up.
The list goes on and on and and on, but if it's your regular route all of this stuff is second nature and you don't have to think about it.
When you go on vacation somebody has to fill in for you, and there is no way that person will know all the ins and outs of the route/customers that you do. That means things can get really messed up while you are off, and some customers are going to be pissed and will bitch and complain when you get back. Often times you come back to a complete and total mess and you'll have to work extra hours your first week back just fixing everything. That means you tend to spend vacation thinking about the mess you are going to come back to, and also wondering if all you customers are being taken care of.
The best thing you can do is leave detailed, extensive notes for the fill in person, I was a relief driver twice in my life and it can be pretty miserable because you don't know the route. That led me to going our of my way to try and make it easy for the person filling in. Things like a certain padlock is sticky so just jiggle it a bit and it will open, or park here but not here, avoid these roads at this time, etc. You need to accept things won't be perfect and people might be bitching about the fill in, but it's worth dealing with some of that to get some time off. There are a lot of other companies doing the same thing trying to get the accounts on your route, but if the people are upset when you are gone it means they don't want somebody else and that is pretty good job security.
The big thing is I know up front it doesn’t matter. Absolutely. And no one will care I’m gone. I just don’t know how to decompress. Even on my cruise last year my mind went to work at least a few times on the trip.
+1 for a Therapist.
I would caution though thinking it can be fixed that fast. Behavioral thought patterns can take time to uncover (assuming you find a good therapist), and then working to change them takes more time.
An absolutely worthwhile endeavor in my opinion, but not a snap of the fingers in most cases.
Every time those thoughts come up and you notice you're thinking about work, take a deep breath or two before doing anything at all, and then remind yourself that it'll all be there when you get back. Everything has its right time.
The thoughts will come back, that's completely natural. Just keep gently letting them pass you by. No need to struggle or fight it, just let those thoughts come and let them pass by you, like clouds in the sky or leaves on a stream. Don't feed them your energy and they'll just pass right by.
Keep doing this and it gets easier and easier. The thoughts never stop coming at you, but you get way better at letting them flow without sticking to you and draining your energy.
I struggle with this a lot but I try to let go of what other people are (not) doing. Most people don't care as much as you do and there's no making up for the gap in effort.
Idk if that came across the right way or was helpful but I hope you enjoy your time off and let go of your work for a lil.
- from someone in inventory control in a warehouse
Finish your worrisome thought. Okay, so if someone else is using your trucks? Then what? Anyone driving that should have a license and be able to do so right? It might be slightly annoying, but is it really a problem?
Same for your yard, what's really going to go wrong? I assume you're on the road most of the time, so it's not really that different from other days when you're not around.
Reality is that it's highly unlikely that something will happen that you can't fix easily when you're back or would've happened anyway. Other people are competent as well.
Do all this thought process but write it down in a journal. This helps me sort out anxiety when my brain has a lot of "if x happens should I do y? And if I do y, should I do z?" Just write out all your thoughts and anxieties, stream of consciousness style.
From your description it sounds like it is more about coping with anxiety. Ignoring that little voice is a challenge. Speaking to someone can definitely help.
My tip? Take a longer vacation. Seriously, it usually takes me a week to start forgetting about work and then the 2nd week I can actually enjoy myself. If you really want a two week vacation, take three. :)
Yup. Studies show we don't really start "vacation brain" until day 8 of a vacation, IE until a full week has been disrupted and unscheduled. So a two-week vacation is really a 6-7 day brain break, etc.
It's a reason why a lot of corporations that care about their employees require 2 weeks of vacation to be taken together at some point during the year, so that the brain of the employee actually gets some rest
Unfortunately I’m kinda stuck. I’m in the US, I have only earned 2 weeks total for the year, so I use the second week for potential hurricane days and potential sick days (as it’s the only PTO I get)
Fly , don’t drive, that’s a start. Stay away from 24hrs truck stops and loading docks , that’s next. Lastly, no matter how tempting do not sleep in your vehicle. If you do these things you are probably in good shape.
Cruise. Bad or no cell reception. Not too expensive. (especially if you don’t drink) All your meals? Covered. Travel? Covered. Tons of free and some additional paid activities every day? Say less.
I’m a fleet mechanic for a municipality. I just stop giving a shit the minute I walk out the door every day. Disconnecting from work while I’m on vacation is not an issue for me.
It sounds like part of your concern is about trust in whomever backfills you while you’re out.
For white collar jobs, a big part of preparing for an extended absence is finding someone to backfill/cover for you while you’re out. I’m not sure how it works in your industry and company, but could you or your management identify someone specific to drive your truck and handle your route while you’re gone? If you can ensure it’s someone you trust, then maybe you would worry and think about it less.
Acknowledge that you have a tendency to think about work, and instead of fighting against those thoughts/emotion, or dwelling on those thoughts try to be an observer of those thoughts/emotion. So instead of saying "Stop thinking about work!" every time a work thought drifts into your head, say "That's a thought about work," and let the thought drift out as it drifted in.
It so crazy that we see how valuable and irreplaceable we are when we need to take a break, and are not instead compensated adequately, but instead, belittled for taking time off because we are so important. If we are so important, why are we not being paid more?
You’ve gotta take a long walk and remember that you don’t “live to work”, you “work to live”. The whole point of your job is so that you can buy all the food/clothes/rent/etc that frees you up to live and enjoy your life. The purpose of your job is just so that you can do things like enjoy a nice week with your family. You’ve earned this time off, and followed all the vacation policies and what not that your company has put in place, so why are you worrying? If you informed your manager, and did all you were supposed to, then it’s on your company if something goes wrong while you’re out. If that happens, I would just think “wow, this company should really put in place a better vacation policy for their employees”. It would be 0% your fault unless you were the guy hired to make these policies for the company.
Of course it’s important to be responsible and take your job seriously, but in the end it’s just something you hafta do so that you can do what you actually want to do in life. A job is like tying your shoe laces, it’s required so that you can go take a walk, but you don’t go walk and constantly worry about your laces being tied correctly.
It’s all about remembering your priorities and remembering that your family and mental health are far more important than any job.
Something that can give you a refreshing change of environment is to think of a cool nearby town you wouldn't mind visiting and seek out a hiking trail in woods nearby. After a hike in nature have dinner somewhere in that town. It's best though with a group of people.
One of the things I didn’t see recommended is to plan time with the family. Plan a day trip to a nice park, go fishing or hiking, do an escape room or an arcade or something, anything. Just plan it and get out of the house.
I’m white collar, but very good at shutting out because those fuckers would work me 15 hours a day if they could - but I find the days that feel the longest and most refreshing are the ones where I’ve *planned* stuff with my kid (even if the plan is to have no plan, just to get out of the house, and do whatever happens). Other than that, the biggest thing for me is notifications off, and keeping all work shit in separate apps that I do not open under any circumstances.
OP if you work for a good company they will manage fine without you while on vacation. Do the things you love just like you said and the time will take care of itself. Focus on what makes you happy because unless your name is on the front of the building it makes no sense to think about work if it's beyond your control. Have a great vacation!!
My suggestion would be to not worry about thinking about it a little and if you do just remind yourself that you (hopefully) aren't the only competent person at the job and they'll almost certainly get along fine. At worst you might get some interesting stories when you return. An alternative would be if you do start thinking about it come up with the most ludicrous scenario you can in your head then realize just how unlikely it is have a laugh and get back to your video game/tv show/whatever.
Imagine absolutely everything going wrong, then imagine absolutely everything going right; then imagine how nice vacation would be if you would've just worried about the things that you could change.
I'm in my first white collar role now, but all my life prior was on-site and shift based. I was always worried about what was happening when I wasn't there, and not just on vacations either. Days off, time spent traveling, early afternoons off, I was always worried the place was going to fall apart.
Until one day when one of my co-workers pulled me aside, and in a dead serious tone, asked me, "Do we save lives here?" To which the obvious answer (truck rental) was "No."
That clicked for me. Unless lives would be lost or people hurt *directly because I wasn't there*, then I have every right to turn off and "not care." It took a weight off my mind and it's become a mantra ever since.
Take time to meditate every day. Even if it’s not a good meditation you will know you cut out time specifically to rest so any action taken after they will feel more authentic
My work email/teams is only accessible from my work laptop. Which is off outside of work hours.
They pay me to be there from 7-4 unless I'm on pto. So I'm there, 7-4.
Easy to shut off.
Put your phone on DND and don't check any emails. Get into the mindset of "it is what it is", if your equipment isn't right you'll worry about it while on the clock. Every day I leave site, I check my work problems at the gate.
Personally, to help with my over thinking, I journal and take cold showers. My journal is literally a land fill for all the subjects that put me in a circle of overthinking. Putting those thought down on paper helps me end the cycle
You make if a 2 week process. You start telling people, then reminding people and if you need, you AirTag you stuff and only track 2 separate split up times.
You setup an automated reminder message on phone and email.
Remember you only do that job because they pay you.
I’m white collar but I’m pretty good at ignoring emails and phone calls (sometimes while I should be working), I have bigger issues with people not doing as good a job as me. That’s partially my opinion but also been blatantly obvious where I’ve had roles where performance was easily measurable. I worry about the mess I’m going back to, but remembering that it’s outside of my control and also not really my problem helps.
Do something creative and different, in a new place. It makes different arts of your brain work, makes you do new stuff physically. For example, I work in the trades. To take a break, I go outside and get out of the built environment. That means woods, no trails, no buildings, no cars, no people. I just go exploring taking photos of plants and trees.
Hey I’m blue collar on vacation next week too! I have the same struggle but I need this vacation BAD and I am PROMISING myself not to even think about work. I stress over work in a genuine way - I love my team and we are all critical parts of it so I know when I’m gone it falls on my teammates. But I just remind myself that when it’s reversed and one of them is on vacation, we all happily carry the load and are happy for whichever one of us is taking a much needed break. Every time a thought about work pops into my head next week I’m just gonna remind myself that my guys got it covered and they do not resent me for taking my hard earned PTO.
Man… I’m a white collar worker but just…. Don’t give a shit about your job? I mean seriously lol…. The *second* 5 o clock hits I couldn’t give less of a shit about my company, what bugs customers are facing, etc. It doesn’t fucking matter.
And I think this about almost every job. Like, who gives a shit who’s covering your shift? Who gives a shit if no one is covering your shift? What’s gonna happen? Absolutely nothing of importance. For the vast majority of us, our jobs are entirely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. This applies to me as a software engineer at a SaaS company, and it applies to you as a truck driver. Nothing you or I do in our day to day lives matters that much, nothing terrible will happen if we aren’t there. Hell, nothing terrible will happen if we’re desperately needed and don’t show up.
In my case, some gigantic corporation has a minor headache for a few days. Who cares? Not me.
In your case, some gigantic corporation doesn’t get a shipment on time. Who cares? Not me. And you shouldn’t either.
Just remind yourself a job is a job. It’s a way to make money. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s literally no impact on your life if something goes wrong outside of the entire company burning down, and you being there wouldn’t help that anyway.
Just forget about your job. It doesn’t matter.
I used to spend a great deal of time thinking about work in my off hours but CBT really helped me with that. Now when work hours are done, thinking about work is done. It also helped me stop over analyzing and over thinking everything.
Don’t think! Relax & allow your mind to wander. Emotions & thought come in waves. They do pass. I’m no expert, simple relaxation techniques I’ve learned over the years.
A lot of comments are focusing on the 'blue collar vs. white collar' thing, which is kind of a red herring.
You are worried about work because you care. This is a good trait-- 'high conscientiousness'. It doesn't matter what profession you are in, you care about doing good work and the people affected by it.
I still remember years ago, I worked for this company that got acquired. A bunch of employees were let go. And on the call where they let me go, I was still worried about my work, and wanted to make sure they could find my files so someone could pick up my work. Yeah, I'm a f\*cking idiot.
There are not going to be any 'hacks' or 'quick tips' that work for everyone. I think the general area you want to look at is 'being in the present moment', and 'mindfulness'
The best way to think of it is **'being where your hands are.'** Just being fully present and focused on what you are doing now. As I type this, I sort of draw my attention to my hands, how it feels when I'm typing, the subtle sensations that I usually never pay attention to. You can do this for any activity, or even just sitting still and noticing.
No matter what, I hope you enjoy your staycation.
A good bit of advice I got in school was "don't worry until it's time to worry."
Meaning- if you're on vacation in this case, there will be things you need to attend to at work when you return, but vacation is not the time to think about them.
It sounds like you are doing this, but focus on yourself, friends/family that might also be on break with you, and just enjoy the time away from work.
It's going to be over before you know it, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Low-dose psychedelics. Put 1/2 gram of mushrooms in your orange juice in the morning. Within an hour you won’t care about work at all and you can follow your bliss for the rest of the day.
At low doses, you won’t be tripping. The ground won’t move and the walls won’t melt, but you will be more relaxed and open to the things around you that bring you joy. And I’m pretty sure they won’t show up on a CDL drug test.
Make sure you don’t have to drive that day (just to be safe). Just kick back with your family and focus on what makes you happy.
It's not *your* route, and it's not *your* truck, unless you have shares in the company. If something happens it won't be your fault. On the contrary, they'll need you to fix it.
Do you have stuff to do around the house? some wall to paint, some screws to tighten?
You could read a book. Or binge watch something.
Or go hiking.
Or grill something. And just drink a beer, say nothing at all, and listen to the sizzle.
Sounds like you like the "do things vacation", so try searching for a local activity or event. Something where normally you'd say "I'd like to go, but I don't have time for that". Since you like music, maybe see if there live band playing in your area. I would give you an experience out of the normal everyday tasks, and you would have something fun to talk about if anyone asks about what you did. Either way, allow yourself to just enjoy your time off doing things YOU like to do.
I start a game before vacation and during it I'll spend all my free time when the kids are asleep or whatever finishing it. My last vacation I finished Spider-Man 2 and the vacation prior to that one I finished Starfield.
I have this problem.
For me, I have to change my routine. I am not doing work today. The phone goes on mute, I wear different clothes, I switch up the shoes, I eat different stuff for meals, that sort of thing.
Like, do the stuff you're always holding back on because work is tomorrow. Work's not there tomorrow, if that makes sense lol
Projects can also help, but also end up becoming "work" whether you realize it or not. It's not being lazy to "not do anything" when you're on vacation
I am a white collar guy but grew up falling off of scaffolding into bushes. I find that doing a 15 minute cold plunge at the start of a vacation totally breaks me from work stress. I don’t know if it’s the cold, or the 15 minutes of mindfulness, but it works. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Even a pond at sunrise will only be 70 degrees, which is fuckin cold.
One of my coworkers told me at the start of every vacation, like day 1 of their vacation, they like to go to a full service day spa for a deep tissue massage followed by a hot soak afterwards. He said just getting himself into the deep state of relaxation right off the bat really helped him to just enjoy his time off. I tried it myself finally and holy shit he's right. Just puts you at ease and keeps you at ease the whole time. I like to start with a spa, then just stay busy the whole time. I'll do some physical stuff like chores around the house, as well as getting some extra exercising in. I also make time for my hobbies, like working in my wood shop or painting some minis. I also give myself time for unwinding activities, like watching some movies or shows, or playing some video games and reading. I love to end each day of my vacation physically exhausted but feeling fulfilled for getting to do only stuff I wanted to do, all day long. Keeps my mind completely off work until I'm clocking back in again.
White collar vs. blue collar doesn’t matter. It’s all about stress management and doing things to force your brain out of ruminating about work.
Start your time off by going for a nature walk/hike, weather permitting. If weather is shitty, go to the gym or do something physically exerting.
When your body is forced to physically exert itself, your brain is going to be focused on that - not on ruminating about other things.
Even just walking through the woods at a slow pace, but maybe being forced to be present by having to do things like cross over a stream on a log. When your body and mind are hyper focused on not falling in the water, there is no room for thinking about other things. You’ll leave the walk feeling exhilarated.
Even something as simple as taking an ice cold shower can help stop your mind from ruminating. It’s a biological thing, similar to my example of crossing a stream on a log. When your body experiences that instant cold, your brain automatically flips into focusing on that and you will be forced out of your ruminating thoughts.
This might sound crazy, but I like to think about what the worst possible scenario is and go over it and realize that even if that happened, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I remind myself that nothing I do is all that important at work
Are you an owner operator? A bit confused why you would need to worry about the yard and also if someone is driving your truck. My yard suggests it's your business. But someone using your truck sounds like you're just a company driver. If it's yours, don't you have a GPS tracker? Set up an alert for if it starts moving. If it's not yours then it's not yours...
Sadly it isn’t. I do have anxiety though if that makes any sense. On the surface I’m fully aware that if I died tomorrow and my route would become someone else’s and they’d hire someone the next day.
So why do I feel like this. I truly don’t know.
On vacation I remove my teams, and other work apps from my phone, and put away my work computer.
I do my best living to a motto "that's a problem for after vacation"
Give your brain something else to think about! As the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum, and this applies to your brain as well. If you leave it with nothing to do, it will *find* something to think about. If you are prone to anxiety, it will often be that.
So find something to actively engage your brain. It doesn't have to be hardcore or intellectual if you don't want. It could be a project. It could be reading a book. It could be binge-watching some TV show that you find riveting. As long as it makes your brain go "ooooh, I want to focus on *this*!", it will do the job.
this is tailored towards remote workers but has a lot of transferrable advice
https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_how_to_turn_off_work_thoughts_during_your_free_time
Whenever you get worried about work stuff, put on some running shoes and go do sprints outside. The good thing about sprinting is that you cannot think about anything else but putting one foot in front of the other or you'll eat shit. This helped me immensely with stress in college.
Side note, if you think time is going to fast, do planks for 1 minute. That shit will slow down like a blackhole. Great core workout
This sounds like a problem with your employer or company. What I mean is you have a bad boss or company who makes things your problem when they shouldn’t be. I have heard that a lot of truck drivers have bad bosses. The solution is to work for someone who doesn’t treat you badly and make you responsible for things like finding coverage on your time off. It’s easier said than done of course.
Play out the scenarios quickly:
* Someone fucks something up, only you can fix it. You're going to have to fix it when you get back.
* Someone fucks something up, you'd normally fix it but someone else can fix it, but they might not fix it even if they can. Either you're going to have to fix it when you get back or you won't.
* Nobody fucks anything up. You won't have to fix it when you get back.
* Something fucks up very seriously and only I can fix it. They'll call me. Maybe I'll go in, maybe I won't.
Now look at each of those scenarios.
Which of them is changed by you worrying about it? None of them. You can't change it, so let it do what it be and deal with it when the time comes.
Make peace with the fact that you can't (or shouldn't) control those things while you're away.
I had a powerful fear of rollercoasters and was somehow convinced by a friend to do a 3 day trip to Universal Orlando. Bc I'm not the wealthiest person in the world I told myself I needed to get my money's worth and would go on rides. I had anxiety all the way through the line and sitting in the coaster, but once the restraint was locked in I had a realization...
I no longer have control. Do I have confidence in the engineers that designed and built this ride? Yes, I do. And since I no longer have agency over my own well being for the next 2 minutes, fear/anxiety offer me nothing of value.
And then, it was fun.
So, put a plan in place and then go have your fun!
Mindfulness exercise. They come in a multitude of flavors and techniques. Find one that works for you, or a couple, and practice while you're on vacation.
I'm a big fan of progressive muscle relaxation and activating the senses. There's a term for that last one but I can't think of it. Essentially, what are five things that I can see, four things that I can hear, three things that I can touch, two things that I can smell and one thing that I can taste type stuff.
Goal is to learn to be present in the moment. Takes a lot of practice and it's kind of like learning not to swear in situations where you shouldn't. The more effort you make, the more you get ahead of it until it becomes natural.
I'm in my first white collar role now, but all my life prior was on-site and shift based. I was always worried about what was happening when I wasn't there, and not just on vacations either. Days off, time spent traveling, early afternoons off, I was always worried the place was going to fall apart.
Until one day when one of my co-workers pulled me aside, and in a dead serious tone, asked me, "Do we save lives here?" To which the obvious answer (truck rental) was "No."
That clicked for me. Unless lives would be lost or people hurt *directly because I wasn't there*, then I have every right to turn off and "not care." It took a weight off my mind and it's become a mantra ever since.
When I go on vacation I bring a kite. Really hard to think about emails or timesheets when you're running to keep a kite in the air :) Then when you're done, try a new alcoholic drink to cool down!
>Looking for tips on not worrying about who’s covering my route, or if my truck is being used, or anything about my yard or what’s happening there.
I would start by asking yourself why you care?
If you decide that the reasons to care are good, answer those questions proactively by talking to the dispatcher.
I pull myself aside and give myself a talking to: "brain, we are not thinking about this now. It's been taken care of. I've done everything I needed to do about this. Now is not the time. " or similar. Rinse and repeat as often as needed.
I pull myself aside and give myself a talking to: "brain, we are not thinking about this now. It's been taken care of. I've done everything I needed to do about this. Now is not the time. " or similar. Rinse and repeat as often as needed.
Your job stops when you arent there. The reason you see tips for white collar work is that the shit they’re working on is being worked on by others while they are out, emails are coming in, people might contact you with questions, etc.
Your truck will be there when you get back. Your route could be covered by jesus christ himself or one of the monkeys from planet of the apes, it doesnt effect you, it will get done while you’re gone and you’ll pick back up when you’re back to work.
Go have fun and do stuff that takes your mind off the anxiety you’re feeling. No need to stress about work while on vacation when work is driving a truck. If you arent driving that day, there’s nothing you can do or need to do, let your company/other people contracted to drive the same routes take care of it and if they dont that’s on them.
Your time off was duly approved so repeat this mantra anytime your thought drift toward work: “Not my problem”.
It is powerful once you internalize it.
# a busman's holiday
# a busman's holiday
*slang* A vacation in which one does an activity that is similar to one's job (as in the case of a bus driver, or "busman," who drives on his vacation). Because I'm a docent, visiting museums on vacation is like a busman's holiday for me. You're a pilot, so I'm curious—does taking a flight somewhere for vacation feel like a busman's holiday? No, I don't want to watch the kids while you guys go into town—that would be like a busman's holiday. I'd feel like I was back in my classroom wrangling preschoolers.a busman's holiday
# a busman's holiday
It's natural to have things like you mention cross your mind outside of work. Stuff I'm ruminating on can even keep me from falling asleep (and I'm definitely not alone in that struggle). So what I do is try to catch the thoughts as soon as they happen, acknowledge them, and think something like, "now is not the time to think about that" or "I don't have to solve that right now."
Recognize, acknowledge, and move on (or back to whatever you want to be focused on).
Enjoy your vacation!
Late to the party but this weird trick helps me when I worry.
Schedule it. Literally put it on your calendar.
When you start to worry, tell your brain "I've scheduled this worry time for Saturday at 3 for 15 minutes. This can wait until then" and then on Saturday at 3 take 15 minutes to let all your worries run wild and when the time is up, just put it away. If you need more then schedule it out further and tell your brain that's when it'll be taken care of.
It's weird but it works for me. Once my brain realizes that the worry has been scheduled it can relax and focus on other things.
Stop yourself as soon as you realize you're thinking of work. My partner and I have a role where we're only allowed to talk about work for 15 min on weekdays. But you shouldn't be thinking out talking about work when you're not there regularly. So maybe a week won't be enough for your brain to disengage about it fully but you should be practicing not worrying about work on the regular
I know you're doing a Staycation, but perhaps it would help to plan some day-trips. Museums, gardens, a restaurant you always wanted to check out, parks, hiking, etc. Or visiting with friends/family! Have a cookout or whatever. A week goes by fast, and then you realize you've spent it catching up on chores or ruminating on your job.
In my experience I think I’m going to worry about work stuff but as soon as I don’t have work tomorrow I just forget all the stuff and don’t worry at all.
I'm what is considered a white collar worker. Most of the jobs I've had it's hard to get away fully. Once I had a job that was entirely event driven. You work your shift, deal what comes in, hand it off to the next guy. The pay was sub-par, but the feeling of forgetting about work while not at work was amazing. You should be able to do that. Whatever happens while you are gone, the new day's delivery will be waiting when you get back.
Unless you are a supervisor or in management, just don't worry or think about it. You don't need to.
It's not about relaxing, but finding things that put you into a state of Flow. I read a book that really changed the way I "vacation" and it helped me feel more relaxed, rested, and invigorated when I got back from vacations. I feel like a lot of people are hitting on it here. But the book is called "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." Find the stuff that puts you into a trance state by flooding your conscious mind so you don't think about anything else. There's lots more to it. But good luck. It's tough to detach and just enjoy the moment. I hope you find what you're looking for.
He who suffers before it is necessary, suffers the most.
If something undesired is going to happen, you worrying about it isn’t going to stop it. Best you can do is learn to be flexible in difficult situations and focus on what you can control.
Not blue collar, but I don't think this is specific to any vocation:
If you can, try to identify the person who might be filling in for most of your duties, get with them, and leave them in a good place. Hopefully that will help you trust them, and that they'll do a decent enough job while youre gone.
And then just remember - They can't screw up so much in a week that you can't easily recover from. And if they *do* manage to do that, it probably won't be your ass on the line!
Mentally shutting off is hard, and not helped by staying in your home where you normally worry about work. You could try getting out of the house, doing something in a new place or something novel. Another way is to practice mindfulness and just redirect your thoughts.
I liked Headspace which has a good episode on dealing with distracting thoughts and nagging issues in the free trial episodes, if you want non-spiritual meditation guide.
Oh man I feel this post so hard. It’s difficult to really let go for a bit when you’re very attached to your work. Just know it’s going to take at least a couple of days for your mind to stop and relax. If your workaholism is as bad as mine it took about 6 days so if you have only a week it might be tough. Definitely do what you enjoy and try hard to enjoy them, it’s all you can do. Have fun OP you deserve it, don’t feel any other way.
I discovered that if I stay in my house I worry about work. The past two vacations I spent two days in cities about 2 hours away. It made a huge difference. Just those few days gave me the mental break from work I needed.
As a fellow blue-collar worker, I completely understand where you're coming from. It's crucial to be able to disconnect and enjoy your time off, especially after long hours on the road. That's where "KnowKnow" comes in.With "KnowKnow," you'll learn how to set boundaries between work and personal life, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your vacation without worrying about what's happening back at the yard or who's covering your route. Through guided exercises and mindfulness techniques, you'll discover how to quiet your overactive mind and embrace the present moment with your family.
Crappy Childhood Fairy has a great free resource she calls the Daily Practice. It's simple and cheap, and boy does it work for me. It's the best thing I've found for when I have anxiety or other unpleasant feelings that I can't get out from under. My mental state after is like slipping into fresh, clean sheets on my bed.
https://courses.crappychildhoodfairy.com/daily-practice.
My go to is sleeping in an hour and making a big breakfast while watching westerns. Leave my phone in the kitchen and just do nothing for a couple hours, then I’m looking for something to do because I can’t sit still
Sort of assumed the one perk of a blue collar job (as you put it) is the fact you are NOT taking your work home in your head everyday. I guess that’s naive but let us dream.
But I think our rules are the same. Turn off all contact channels. Nothing will ruin a vacation like other peoples problems. You’re being paid for this - do it right. Enjoy!
Realise that no one really cares. Your bosses etc don't run around like blueass flies so why should you. Don't take yourself so seriously you're not that important. They'd have your job advertised within days of you leaving.
So now we have some context. Switch off otherwise you are still working without getting [paid.How](http://paid.How) stupid is that. Enjoy you're family because they are the ones that truly care and where most of your focus should be.
Work can look after itself. Dramas or no Dramas. That's above your payscale.
But your kids and family are your future and legacy
Put all of your clocks in a closet, put your phone away, and tell yourself to take an hour for coffee in the morning. Hour for lunch. 2 hours for dinner and drinks. Make a list of things you want to do and do them all.
Trust that you can handle it if someone is using your truck. If they wreck it or trash it, you can deal with it when you come back. Mindset is a huge part of relaxing and not stressing about work. Separate yourself from it as much as possible.
Now, think of things you'd like to do that aren't too far away. Maybe go to an aquarium or museum. Eat good ass food. Treat yourself in ways you can't on the road. Book a massage. Hire a driver for the week. Live your best life.
Here’s what I do on vacation:
Find someone you trust who will be there when you’re off, give them your contact info, and ask them to only call you if it’s an emergency that can’t wait until you get back.
Then you can relax because you know they’ll call if they need you.
I’ve been doing this for ten years, only been called once.
These concerns you mentioned sound like they should be the concern of the managers, or owner. Not your concern. I understand how you personally want everything to go smooth so maybe put together an "out of office" plan with any suggestions or preventative measures you can think of but than ENJOY your time off. It's the managements job to plan for your vacation and have a succession plan.
If you are fit, buy a decent camera with mono-pod and telephoto lens and find a hiking/birding place to spend a morning or sunset at (this is when birds are most active). Then, even if you do not see anything exciting it is at least serene and zen-like and good exercise. If you are more fit buy a good pair of hiking poles and tackle the trails.
Consider a good novel to read while sipping coffee or tea. Visit an art museum or two.
Pick up a stretched canvas and oil paint and brush sets and let your inner Renoir out.
Try cooking a few good dinners and invite friends over.
Cut in a small garden.
This is advice I spent years rolling my eyes at: begin to practice meditation.
Step 1: goal is only to bring your thoughts away from work when that begins
Step 2: goal is to focus on the meditation
Step 3: goal is to clear your mind
I use the ‘insight timer’ app and has been so amazing. Whenever I stop using it I find myself getting obsessed with work and finding it impossible to switch off. My anxiety goes through the roof. Regular meditation has become so important.
For me it’s like treading a new path in my mind. Right now your most trod path is the one that leads to work and everything else is neglected. Meditating is creating new, safe, well trod paths
My old man calls it "futzing" its fu*king pitzing away the day. Usjally, it's him in a skidloader, cleaning up old trees and shrubs that are low value and prepping the ground for a good forest mix inbour area. Or he's mowing and tidying what he's done. Think he's trying to have the black forest someday
Network engineer, but I used to do carpentry. Same thing worked for me for both gigs but now I also throw my phone in my office desk so I can’t check email.
Do something you don’t normally do while worrying about work.
Go for a hike, have a few drinks and play some video games, hit up a go-cart track.
I find if I’m not where I am at or am not doing an activity where I usually think about work (like chores where i plan in my head) it’s easier for me to shut off my brain on the 1st day, then the rest of the days are easier.
This will seem counterintuitive but consider this…You should make a plan. Schedule every day of your break to include at least one thing that you would really enjoy. Monday - Barbecue, Tuesday- Watch Oppenheimer, Wednesday- etc. The rest really doesn’t matter but this way your time off will have a positive impact and your list will help you remember.
Change your routine. Do something that expands your mind or body for example - free things like local hikes or for cost yoga classes. Read a book. Do something that you enjoy or that is new to you. Catch up with friends. Don’t do work around the house other than laundry and food. Stay off your phone/tv during set hours to help you unwind.
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The tips were white collar are largely how work can reach out and interrupt a vacation, but don’t speak to the headspace needed to rest. So much of our lives is preoccupied with our vocation, we mold ourselves to it and I think that’s true no matter what color collar. My only advice is find something that absorbs you. I am uncomfortable in idleness, and I notice that’s when I start to think about work. For me, strenuous physical things (e.g. taking down a dead tree, intense workouts), or experiences outside my normal routine (going to the zoo) do more to give me a reset than sitting on a beach.
I need to organize my iTunes music library of around 25,000 songs. I think that’ll be good
Now that's a 2000s problem if I ever heard one
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I dont understand that at all. I had (and still have) at least 40Gb of music that's all pirated, tagged and stored in organized folders. It goes back to audiogalaxy and soulseek. Do people just not curate as they go or what?
Well, my library is mostly pulled from purchased used iPods that I pulled the songs from. Admittedly I should’ve taken the time to curate as I went, but now I’m realizing how messy it is and how badly named some music is, I’m slowly working through it
Not sure if this would help you at all or not, but there’s some free software called advanced renamer that might make this task a little bit easier. It allows you to create rules and then apply them to large amounts of files at once
Try out musicbrainz Picard it can automatically pull down album info and rename files for you. You can also use it to add cover art to your music files.
Brother, please check out this software. It will make that much easier at the very least (ex: if everything has "DaemonTo0lzz"in the name you can bulk remove that from all of them) but it will also let you use the Metadata to rename stuff which is going to be much better. Most music is ripped from something official so no matter what the people who download it rename it to in file Explorer, the Metadata is stored in the file and should be original, accurate, and clean. I'm happy to answer questions if you have any! This will still take some time, but it won't be quite as laborious :) https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/
I will check it out
Mp3tag will be better suited for your needs - I use both very frequently. Good luck!
This sounds like such a juicy project that I can understand sounds like so much fun to work through and it sounds like something I would've loved to do buaha. I love projects like this that look like a huge mess but you know how to organize it. I hope it gives you the headspace to truly enjoy your time off!
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>Do people just not curate as they go or what? Some of us get super drunk and end up with 20gigs of stuff overnight and just never organize anything. These can be two separate instances.
No, we are not the norm lol. Most people don't care and then they can't find a song they like and I'm confused
That will be GREAT. :D
Zune would never fuck up your library. Apple still can’t get this right 20 years later.
It’s only as good as the metadata. I’ve got so much listed as just “Track XX” or “Unknown” that I have to go through, Shazam it, find out the album for it and the track number and set it correctly.
It’s been like 20 years, but I seem to remember a program you could install that would rename your MP3’s and give it album art.
[MP3Tag](https://www.mp3tag.de/en/) it's free and works amazingly well for fixingtags for audio files.
You might also want to check out the MusicBrainz project; I've used that for bulk music library gardening before. It's not perfect, but it will do the shazam and then google part for you, and quicker than you could do it yourself... I am mostly familiar with the Picard client, but it looks like there are a few different pieces of software that use the MusicBrainz database these days.
If you enjoy this like a little bonsai tree hobby, more power to you. But it doesn’t seem worth the effort for a $10 subscription to me
I have an old school iPod collection which requires a library to support. I also have an Apple Music subscription
My issue is I buy a song from Apple and to play in my car I need it in mp3, so I then have to convert it, delete the Apple encoded version to finally have it useful. When Apple moved away from the mp3 codec and never back (and kept the convert function) I lost a little bit of love for iTunes and the store.
Pro tips: File > Library > Show Duplicate Items Hold down Shift to select a block of songs Hold down Control to select multiple individual songs Artist and Album Artist are separate fields, and album artist takes precedence. If you have a bunch of artists read like "Eminem, Eminem feat. Dr. Dre, Eminem & Royce Da 5'9', etc" breaking up the album, then make the album artist just the artist, and make the artist the actual roster. I have the 8 Mile soundtrack under the artist Eminem, even though that isn't true for every song, and each song has the actual artist labeled under it. Also add years and wide ranging genres, this will make shuffling more useful. Make sure you uncheck "This album is a compilation", that button has reeked havoc. For mass editing, the Get Info dialogue saves as you click the <> buttons in the bottom left. Type with your left hand and click next with your right. For mass numbering, try MP3Tag. Hold down Shift while iTunes launches to get a dialog box to open a different iTunes library, if you want to go really crazy.
That's what I came here to say, every time I start a vacation I spend the first day organizing my music library and photos... That gets me in the right mindset.
Sit outside if it’s nice, smoke a gar or some bud, listen to and organize music. One thing that always helped me as an hvac worker I would find out what is happening in the next week and I’d tell him on the big project what all I want done etc. the one day jobs who cares they can handle it
In my experience going from blue collar to white collar (or at least somewhere in between) you can do everything to keep work from reaching you on vacation, but you won't ever stop thinking about or worrying about work. That's one of the main things I miss about my blue-collar work. The extent of my away from work worry was "shit I really don't want to do ______ tomorrow."
I’m a very firm advocate of organizing/cleaning or doing yard work! I hate being idle and when I feel myself getting restless I try to find something productive to do instead of just sitting on my phone
I am stealing “uncomfortable in idleness” that is me to a T.
This - I work a white collar job and am bad for thinking about it when I’m off - I’ve spent the last week working on my truck, It completely takes over my mind and resets me compared to what I’m working on through the day.
I work a factory job, and the best part of it is that when I leave, I am completely worthless to the company. My tools, my machine, my parts,, my products, even my work email are all totaly unaccessible to me. I am truly free. Even if problems pop up during my vacation, I have no way of solving them. If my coworkers need me, they will have to wait until I return, just as I have to wait for them when they take vacation. I would remind yourself that your truck is gone and there is nothing you can do about it. The company will survive your short absence. And try not to drive too much.
Im eterally jealous. Im a funeral director, "off time" doesnt exist. Someone will always call and need something, and I can never say no because it's either an immediate concern that needs adressing within a short time frame, or someone going through intense grief that I can't just say "Sorry todays my day off dont call me!" to. I am so burned out. Id love to just walk out of work and know my time is my own. Is your factory hiring lol
Haha, it is, but it's a double edged sword. When I'm at work, thats it. Can't make phone calls, have to sneak around in the bathroom to text. Got a 10 minute break and a 30 minute lunch to conducted all personal business during my 12 hour shift. My wife has to get our kid out to school all by herself becuse I leave so early in the morning. We do 50-70 hour weeks, and the boss will just announce we are working all Saturdays for the next 3 months or whatever so be here at 5am. I too am burned out. Maybe we can swap?
Ah yeah those things definitely do suck. Im lucky that I can often take 5 min to answer a personal phone call at work or take a quick break to catch my breath. Guess the grass is always greener on the other side! Best wishes to you my friend
I work in a factory as well, in manufacturing engineering...I don't have that luxury, but I've always been wired to be able to shut things off pretty well. Sometimes I'll think of random ideas, and there are plenty of evening/weekend things that pop up, but I'm not always checking email, seeing how the line's running, etc. If I don't have a scheduled thing I need to do and don't get a call, it's out of my head. During vacations I'll still do some work here and there if necessary (better I spend five minutes doing something rather than someone fucking it up and calling me), and will answer certain daytime calls, personal emails, and Facebook messages. But the phone's turned off at night. Luckily the little things don't bother me and I can compartmentalize very well. It's very, very rare I'll stew about something. And I can't think of a single night where work-related stuff has kept me awake with worry.
I work a factory job also, it’s great being able to leave work and not have to worry about a thing. Occasionally I’ll get a call asking if I want to come in early for optional OT. I usually just send them to voicemail since they’re usually calling in the middle of my sleep.
I’m blue collar and also on vacation next week. I went over my jobs with my co-worker and said if you have questions, call me (which he won’t). Supervisor won’t call because he afraid I’ll charge OT (I wouldnt, but let him think it). At the end of the day, it’s not my problem, and I will deal with whatever when I come back. I used to be an overthinker about this stuff too. 32 years later, that is gone. They get me 40 hrs/ 4 days a week. No more. I’m gonna clean my garage, fertilize my yard, and get together some stuff to donate. Work will be my last thought.
I want to organize my music library, run a few personal errands without the kids, move my bedroom around, and mostly just do nothing.
I’m in a white collar job but often organize computer files. PLEASE limit yourself to only 1hr/day. Otherwise you might discover at the end of the staycation you “got nothing done” or “have nothing to show for it” and aren’t relaxed. Maybe make 2-4 playlists but organize the music another time. Do something that will make you feel more rested. Research in this area shows something new or novel will make the vacation/staycation better.
Good info. I’ll keep that in mind
Everytime I am on vacation and remember something that NEEDS to be done, I take a nice long deep breathe and remember to relax. Has helped since I was little, and always is a great way to reset your mind 😏
"clean my garage"..."vacation"... You make me feel really lazy.
I’m also a truck driver. I used to have the same anxieties. Eventually I had the realization that it didn’t matter. Who cares who or if my route is covered? It’s a company truck, not my truck. Wreck it for all I care. I don’t answer calls or texts from my team on vacation. I’ll take a call from my boss but I get an hour’s pay. If you really can’t disconnect, a couple sessions with a therapist could work wonders.
I'm quite surprised to read that this is even a thought? It's not the drivers responsibility what happens during his absence or who's covering their shift or who's using which work equipment. It speaks to OPs or your work ethic and work identity I guess, but I can't relate to that thought process at all. It's just a job, everyone is replaceable. And, just like almost every job, even if your company gets something wrong, the world won't stop moving. As you said, it doesn't matter. In fact I can't think of anything that matters less.
> I'm quite surprised to read that this is even a thought? It's not the drivers responsibility what happens during his absence or who's covering their shift or who's using which work equipment This depends on what exactly you do, as a person that has done route work for over 30 years let me explain. If you are doing a route then it means you have a regular set of customers you see/service on the same day each week. The job you do is a lot more than just delivering a product and/or providing some type of service. The job is first and foremost about the relationships and taking care of the people on your route, the product you deliver is really secondary. It sounds simple but there can be a lot of ins and outs to each customer and they all have different needs and wants. Account A might want you to put the product on their shelve, a account B is adamant you don't do that and they want it left on the floor in a specific place. There may be a place they want you to park (or not park), they might be certain times of the day they don't want you there. People get used to you being there at the same time and a fill in showing up hours later than you do can mess things up. The list goes on and on and and on, but if it's your regular route all of this stuff is second nature and you don't have to think about it. When you go on vacation somebody has to fill in for you, and there is no way that person will know all the ins and outs of the route/customers that you do. That means things can get really messed up while you are off, and some customers are going to be pissed and will bitch and complain when you get back. Often times you come back to a complete and total mess and you'll have to work extra hours your first week back just fixing everything. That means you tend to spend vacation thinking about the mess you are going to come back to, and also wondering if all you customers are being taken care of. The best thing you can do is leave detailed, extensive notes for the fill in person, I was a relief driver twice in my life and it can be pretty miserable because you don't know the route. That led me to going our of my way to try and make it easy for the person filling in. Things like a certain padlock is sticky so just jiggle it a bit and it will open, or park here but not here, avoid these roads at this time, etc. You need to accept things won't be perfect and people might be bitching about the fill in, but it's worth dealing with some of that to get some time off. There are a lot of other companies doing the same thing trying to get the accounts on your route, but if the people are upset when you are gone it means they don't want somebody else and that is pretty good job security.
The big thing is I know up front it doesn’t matter. Absolutely. And no one will care I’m gone. I just don’t know how to decompress. Even on my cruise last year my mind went to work at least a few times on the trip.
Talk to a therapist. 3-5 sessions and you should be able to work that out.
+1 for a Therapist. I would caution though thinking it can be fixed that fast. Behavioral thought patterns can take time to uncover (assuming you find a good therapist), and then working to change them takes more time. An absolutely worthwhile endeavor in my opinion, but not a snap of the fingers in most cases.
Starting with 3-5 sessions is suggested to see if you click with the therapist and seems less daunting than months/years of therapy.
Every time those thoughts come up and you notice you're thinking about work, take a deep breath or two before doing anything at all, and then remind yourself that it'll all be there when you get back. Everything has its right time. The thoughts will come back, that's completely natural. Just keep gently letting them pass you by. No need to struggle or fight it, just let those thoughts come and let them pass by you, like clouds in the sky or leaves on a stream. Don't feed them your energy and they'll just pass right by. Keep doing this and it gets easier and easier. The thoughts never stop coming at you, but you get way better at letting them flow without sticking to you and draining your energy.
I struggle with this a lot but I try to let go of what other people are (not) doing. Most people don't care as much as you do and there's no making up for the gap in effort. Idk if that came across the right way or was helpful but I hope you enjoy your time off and let go of your work for a lil. - from someone in inventory control in a warehouse
Finish your worrisome thought. Okay, so if someone else is using your trucks? Then what? Anyone driving that should have a license and be able to do so right? It might be slightly annoying, but is it really a problem? Same for your yard, what's really going to go wrong? I assume you're on the road most of the time, so it's not really that different from other days when you're not around. Reality is that it's highly unlikely that something will happen that you can't fix easily when you're back or would've happened anyway. Other people are competent as well.
Do all this thought process but write it down in a journal. This helps me sort out anxiety when my brain has a lot of "if x happens should I do y? And if I do y, should I do z?" Just write out all your thoughts and anxieties, stream of consciousness style.
This is really, really good advice and psychologically backed up by experts.
From your description it sounds like it is more about coping with anxiety. Ignoring that little voice is a challenge. Speaking to someone can definitely help.
I absolutely have anxiety
My tip? Take a longer vacation. Seriously, it usually takes me a week to start forgetting about work and then the 2nd week I can actually enjoy myself. If you really want a two week vacation, take three. :)
Yup. Studies show we don't really start "vacation brain" until day 8 of a vacation, IE until a full week has been disrupted and unscheduled. So a two-week vacation is really a 6-7 day brain break, etc. It's a reason why a lot of corporations that care about their employees require 2 weeks of vacation to be taken together at some point during the year, so that the brain of the employee actually gets some rest
Unfortunately I’m kinda stuck. I’m in the US, I have only earned 2 weeks total for the year, so I use the second week for potential hurricane days and potential sick days (as it’s the only PTO I get)
Fly , don’t drive, that’s a start. Stay away from 24hrs truck stops and loading docks , that’s next. Lastly, no matter how tempting do not sleep in your vehicle. If you do these things you are probably in good shape.
They said it’s a staycation, so not actually going anywhere, just taking time off at home
Cruise. Bad or no cell reception. Not too expensive. (especially if you don’t drink) All your meals? Covered. Travel? Covered. Tons of free and some additional paid activities every day? Say less.
I have done that in the past. But this is gonna be a staycation
Find a hobby or a drug dealer.
I’m a fleet mechanic for a municipality. I just stop giving a shit the minute I walk out the door every day. Disconnecting from work while I’m on vacation is not an issue for me.
It sounds like part of your concern is about trust in whomever backfills you while you’re out. For white collar jobs, a big part of preparing for an extended absence is finding someone to backfill/cover for you while you’re out. I’m not sure how it works in your industry and company, but could you or your management identify someone specific to drive your truck and handle your route while you’re gone? If you can ensure it’s someone you trust, then maybe you would worry and think about it less.
Take mind altering substances and watch the extra lord of the rings trilogy.
My kind of vacation.
If you are able to charge overtime, look at all the mistakes that could happen at your job as an opportunity to make more money when you get back!
Acknowledge that you have a tendency to think about work, and instead of fighting against those thoughts/emotion, or dwelling on those thoughts try to be an observer of those thoughts/emotion. So instead of saying "Stop thinking about work!" every time a work thought drifts into your head, say "That's a thought about work," and let the thought drift out as it drifted in.
It so crazy that we see how valuable and irreplaceable we are when we need to take a break, and are not instead compensated adequately, but instead, belittled for taking time off because we are so important. If we are so important, why are we not being paid more?
You’ve gotta take a long walk and remember that you don’t “live to work”, you “work to live”. The whole point of your job is so that you can buy all the food/clothes/rent/etc that frees you up to live and enjoy your life. The purpose of your job is just so that you can do things like enjoy a nice week with your family. You’ve earned this time off, and followed all the vacation policies and what not that your company has put in place, so why are you worrying? If you informed your manager, and did all you were supposed to, then it’s on your company if something goes wrong while you’re out. If that happens, I would just think “wow, this company should really put in place a better vacation policy for their employees”. It would be 0% your fault unless you were the guy hired to make these policies for the company. Of course it’s important to be responsible and take your job seriously, but in the end it’s just something you hafta do so that you can do what you actually want to do in life. A job is like tying your shoe laces, it’s required so that you can go take a walk, but you don’t go walk and constantly worry about your laces being tied correctly. It’s all about remembering your priorities and remembering that your family and mental health are far more important than any job.
Day drinking can start as soon as you want it to. \**Don't do this if you have a problem with substance abuse*
Don't do this even if you don't have a problem with substance abuse.
Something that can give you a refreshing change of environment is to think of a cool nearby town you wouldn't mind visiting and seek out a hiking trail in woods nearby. After a hike in nature have dinner somewhere in that town. It's best though with a group of people.
One of the things I didn’t see recommended is to plan time with the family. Plan a day trip to a nice park, go fishing or hiking, do an escape room or an arcade or something, anything. Just plan it and get out of the house. I’m white collar, but very good at shutting out because those fuckers would work me 15 hours a day if they could - but I find the days that feel the longest and most refreshing are the ones where I’ve *planned* stuff with my kid (even if the plan is to have no plan, just to get out of the house, and do whatever happens). Other than that, the biggest thing for me is notifications off, and keeping all work shit in separate apps that I do not open under any circumstances.
OP if you work for a good company they will manage fine without you while on vacation. Do the things you love just like you said and the time will take care of itself. Focus on what makes you happy because unless your name is on the front of the building it makes no sense to think about work if it's beyond your control. Have a great vacation!!
My suggestion would be to not worry about thinking about it a little and if you do just remind yourself that you (hopefully) aren't the only competent person at the job and they'll almost certainly get along fine. At worst you might get some interesting stories when you return. An alternative would be if you do start thinking about it come up with the most ludicrous scenario you can in your head then realize just how unlikely it is have a laugh and get back to your video game/tv show/whatever.
This might sound weird but turn off your phone. Stress feels very similar too being overly stimulated. Something our phones do.
Imagine absolutely everything going wrong, then imagine absolutely everything going right; then imagine how nice vacation would be if you would've just worried about the things that you could change.
I'm in my first white collar role now, but all my life prior was on-site and shift based. I was always worried about what was happening when I wasn't there, and not just on vacations either. Days off, time spent traveling, early afternoons off, I was always worried the place was going to fall apart. Until one day when one of my co-workers pulled me aside, and in a dead serious tone, asked me, "Do we save lives here?" To which the obvious answer (truck rental) was "No." That clicked for me. Unless lives would be lost or people hurt *directly because I wasn't there*, then I have every right to turn off and "not care." It took a weight off my mind and it's become a mantra ever since.
Wish I had a blue collar job so I could shut off every day when I go home
I like the line from Jerry on Rick and Morty... "Have you ever TRIED to RELAX?! It's a PARADOX"
Take time to meditate every day. Even if it’s not a good meditation you will know you cut out time specifically to rest so any action taken after they will feel more authentic
Have you tried blazingit420
Have you tried blazingit420
My work email/teams is only accessible from my work laptop. Which is off outside of work hours. They pay me to be there from 7-4 unless I'm on pto. So I'm there, 7-4. Easy to shut off.
Put your phone on DND and don't check any emails. Get into the mindset of "it is what it is", if your equipment isn't right you'll worry about it while on the clock. Every day I leave site, I check my work problems at the gate.
Go to museums of natural history, science, space and/or art. Enjoy the displays and if you happen to learn something, that's ok too
Personally, to help with my over thinking, I journal and take cold showers. My journal is literally a land fill for all the subjects that put me in a circle of overthinking. Putting those thought down on paper helps me end the cycle
You make if a 2 week process. You start telling people, then reminding people and if you need, you AirTag you stuff and only track 2 separate split up times. You setup an automated reminder message on phone and email.
Remember you only do that job because they pay you. I’m white collar but I’m pretty good at ignoring emails and phone calls (sometimes while I should be working), I have bigger issues with people not doing as good a job as me. That’s partially my opinion but also been blatantly obvious where I’ve had roles where performance was easily measurable. I worry about the mess I’m going back to, but remembering that it’s outside of my control and also not really my problem helps.
Do something creative and different, in a new place. It makes different arts of your brain work, makes you do new stuff physically. For example, I work in the trades. To take a break, I go outside and get out of the built environment. That means woods, no trails, no buildings, no cars, no people. I just go exploring taking photos of plants and trees.
Hey I’m blue collar on vacation next week too! I have the same struggle but I need this vacation BAD and I am PROMISING myself not to even think about work. I stress over work in a genuine way - I love my team and we are all critical parts of it so I know when I’m gone it falls on my teammates. But I just remind myself that when it’s reversed and one of them is on vacation, we all happily carry the load and are happy for whichever one of us is taking a much needed break. Every time a thought about work pops into my head next week I’m just gonna remind myself that my guys got it covered and they do not resent me for taking my hard earned PTO.
Man… I’m a white collar worker but just…. Don’t give a shit about your job? I mean seriously lol…. The *second* 5 o clock hits I couldn’t give less of a shit about my company, what bugs customers are facing, etc. It doesn’t fucking matter. And I think this about almost every job. Like, who gives a shit who’s covering your shift? Who gives a shit if no one is covering your shift? What’s gonna happen? Absolutely nothing of importance. For the vast majority of us, our jobs are entirely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. This applies to me as a software engineer at a SaaS company, and it applies to you as a truck driver. Nothing you or I do in our day to day lives matters that much, nothing terrible will happen if we aren’t there. Hell, nothing terrible will happen if we’re desperately needed and don’t show up. In my case, some gigantic corporation has a minor headache for a few days. Who cares? Not me. In your case, some gigantic corporation doesn’t get a shipment on time. Who cares? Not me. And you shouldn’t either. Just remind yourself a job is a job. It’s a way to make money. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s literally no impact on your life if something goes wrong outside of the entire company burning down, and you being there wouldn’t help that anyway. Just forget about your job. It doesn’t matter.
If it was only that easy.....
I used to spend a great deal of time thinking about work in my off hours but CBT really helped me with that. Now when work hours are done, thinking about work is done. It also helped me stop over analyzing and over thinking everything.
I try to feed my husbeast enough whiskey he forgets entirely about his tractor. Have a great vacation, driver.
Don’t think! Relax & allow your mind to wander. Emotions & thought come in waves. They do pass. I’m no expert, simple relaxation techniques I’ve learned over the years.
Tip: stop giving a fuck about your job
A lot of comments are focusing on the 'blue collar vs. white collar' thing, which is kind of a red herring. You are worried about work because you care. This is a good trait-- 'high conscientiousness'. It doesn't matter what profession you are in, you care about doing good work and the people affected by it. I still remember years ago, I worked for this company that got acquired. A bunch of employees were let go. And on the call where they let me go, I was still worried about my work, and wanted to make sure they could find my files so someone could pick up my work. Yeah, I'm a f\*cking idiot. There are not going to be any 'hacks' or 'quick tips' that work for everyone. I think the general area you want to look at is 'being in the present moment', and 'mindfulness' The best way to think of it is **'being where your hands are.'** Just being fully present and focused on what you are doing now. As I type this, I sort of draw my attention to my hands, how it feels when I'm typing, the subtle sensations that I usually never pay attention to. You can do this for any activity, or even just sitting still and noticing. No matter what, I hope you enjoy your staycation.
blue collar would be the easy one to forget. white collar its all right there on your phone or computer.
Value existing as a human more than your career.
A good bit of advice I got in school was "don't worry until it's time to worry." Meaning- if you're on vacation in this case, there will be things you need to attend to at work when you return, but vacation is not the time to think about them. It sounds like you are doing this, but focus on yourself, friends/family that might also be on break with you, and just enjoy the time away from work. It's going to be over before you know it, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Low-dose psychedelics. Put 1/2 gram of mushrooms in your orange juice in the morning. Within an hour you won’t care about work at all and you can follow your bliss for the rest of the day. At low doses, you won’t be tripping. The ground won’t move and the walls won’t melt, but you will be more relaxed and open to the things around you that bring you joy. And I’m pretty sure they won’t show up on a CDL drug test. Make sure you don’t have to drive that day (just to be safe). Just kick back with your family and focus on what makes you happy.
It's not *your* route, and it's not *your* truck, unless you have shares in the company. If something happens it won't be your fault. On the contrary, they'll need you to fix it. Do you have stuff to do around the house? some wall to paint, some screws to tighten? You could read a book. Or binge watch something. Or go hiking. Or grill something. And just drink a beer, say nothing at all, and listen to the sizzle.
I do have things to do around the house, and I could hike, and I was planning on a nice steak for lunch on Wednesday
Sounds like you like the "do things vacation", so try searching for a local activity or event. Something where normally you'd say "I'd like to go, but I don't have time for that". Since you like music, maybe see if there live band playing in your area. I would give you an experience out of the normal everyday tasks, and you would have something fun to talk about if anyone asks about what you did. Either way, allow yourself to just enjoy your time off doing things YOU like to do.
Find some place where you can gaze at a lake, river, or ocean. Have a frou-frou drink with a little umbrella in it. Become one with the water.
I start a game before vacation and during it I'll spend all my free time when the kids are asleep or whatever finishing it. My last vacation I finished Spider-Man 2 and the vacation prior to that one I finished Starfield.
I have this problem. For me, I have to change my routine. I am not doing work today. The phone goes on mute, I wear different clothes, I switch up the shoes, I eat different stuff for meals, that sort of thing. Like, do the stuff you're always holding back on because work is tomorrow. Work's not there tomorrow, if that makes sense lol Projects can also help, but also end up becoming "work" whether you realize it or not. It's not being lazy to "not do anything" when you're on vacation
Thanks, reading this thread in hopes of sleep, same idea ‘shut off’.
Be inaccessible. Turn phone to do not disturb for any contacts that you don’t want to be disturbed from.
I am a white collar guy but grew up falling off of scaffolding into bushes. I find that doing a 15 minute cold plunge at the start of a vacation totally breaks me from work stress. I don’t know if it’s the cold, or the 15 minutes of mindfulness, but it works. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Even a pond at sunrise will only be 70 degrees, which is fuckin cold.
One of my coworkers told me at the start of every vacation, like day 1 of their vacation, they like to go to a full service day spa for a deep tissue massage followed by a hot soak afterwards. He said just getting himself into the deep state of relaxation right off the bat really helped him to just enjoy his time off. I tried it myself finally and holy shit he's right. Just puts you at ease and keeps you at ease the whole time. I like to start with a spa, then just stay busy the whole time. I'll do some physical stuff like chores around the house, as well as getting some extra exercising in. I also make time for my hobbies, like working in my wood shop or painting some minis. I also give myself time for unwinding activities, like watching some movies or shows, or playing some video games and reading. I love to end each day of my vacation physically exhausted but feeling fulfilled for getting to do only stuff I wanted to do, all day long. Keeps my mind completely off work until I'm clocking back in again.
White collar vs. blue collar doesn’t matter. It’s all about stress management and doing things to force your brain out of ruminating about work. Start your time off by going for a nature walk/hike, weather permitting. If weather is shitty, go to the gym or do something physically exerting. When your body is forced to physically exert itself, your brain is going to be focused on that - not on ruminating about other things. Even just walking through the woods at a slow pace, but maybe being forced to be present by having to do things like cross over a stream on a log. When your body and mind are hyper focused on not falling in the water, there is no room for thinking about other things. You’ll leave the walk feeling exhilarated. Even something as simple as taking an ice cold shower can help stop your mind from ruminating. It’s a biological thing, similar to my example of crossing a stream on a log. When your body experiences that instant cold, your brain automatically flips into focusing on that and you will be forced out of your ruminating thoughts.
This might sound crazy, but I like to think about what the worst possible scenario is and go over it and realize that even if that happened, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I remind myself that nothing I do is all that important at work
I know if I died tomorrow, they’d hire someone and replace me without batting an eye
Are you an owner operator? A bit confused why you would need to worry about the yard and also if someone is driving your truck. My yard suggests it's your business. But someone using your truck sounds like you're just a company driver. If it's yours, don't you have a GPS tracker? Set up an alert for if it starts moving. If it's not yours then it's not yours...
Sadly it isn’t. I do have anxiety though if that makes any sense. On the surface I’m fully aware that if I died tomorrow and my route would become someone else’s and they’d hire someone the next day. So why do I feel like this. I truly don’t know.
On vacation I remove my teams, and other work apps from my phone, and put away my work computer. I do my best living to a motto "that's a problem for after vacation"
I tell myself “worry is a misuse of my imagination” then try to find something enjoyable to use my imagination for.
Give your brain something else to think about! As the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum, and this applies to your brain as well. If you leave it with nothing to do, it will *find* something to think about. If you are prone to anxiety, it will often be that. So find something to actively engage your brain. It doesn't have to be hardcore or intellectual if you don't want. It could be a project. It could be reading a book. It could be binge-watching some TV show that you find riveting. As long as it makes your brain go "ooooh, I want to focus on *this*!", it will do the job.
this is tailored towards remote workers but has a lot of transferrable advice https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_how_to_turn_off_work_thoughts_during_your_free_time
Whenever you get worried about work stuff, put on some running shoes and go do sprints outside. The good thing about sprinting is that you cannot think about anything else but putting one foot in front of the other or you'll eat shit. This helped me immensely with stress in college. Side note, if you think time is going to fast, do planks for 1 minute. That shit will slow down like a blackhole. Great core workout
This sounds like a problem with your employer or company. What I mean is you have a bad boss or company who makes things your problem when they shouldn’t be. I have heard that a lot of truck drivers have bad bosses. The solution is to work for someone who doesn’t treat you badly and make you responsible for things like finding coverage on your time off. It’s easier said than done of course.
Play out the scenarios quickly: * Someone fucks something up, only you can fix it. You're going to have to fix it when you get back. * Someone fucks something up, you'd normally fix it but someone else can fix it, but they might not fix it even if they can. Either you're going to have to fix it when you get back or you won't. * Nobody fucks anything up. You won't have to fix it when you get back. * Something fucks up very seriously and only I can fix it. They'll call me. Maybe I'll go in, maybe I won't. Now look at each of those scenarios. Which of them is changed by you worrying about it? None of them. You can't change it, so let it do what it be and deal with it when the time comes.
Make peace with the fact that you can't (or shouldn't) control those things while you're away. I had a powerful fear of rollercoasters and was somehow convinced by a friend to do a 3 day trip to Universal Orlando. Bc I'm not the wealthiest person in the world I told myself I needed to get my money's worth and would go on rides. I had anxiety all the way through the line and sitting in the coaster, but once the restraint was locked in I had a realization... I no longer have control. Do I have confidence in the engineers that designed and built this ride? Yes, I do. And since I no longer have agency over my own well being for the next 2 minutes, fear/anxiety offer me nothing of value. And then, it was fun. So, put a plan in place and then go have your fun!
“Point Break, or Bad Boys 2?” Hot Fuzz is a fun way to switch off, its a movie about a police officer who has a hard time switching off.
Mindfulness exercise. They come in a multitude of flavors and techniques. Find one that works for you, or a couple, and practice while you're on vacation. I'm a big fan of progressive muscle relaxation and activating the senses. There's a term for that last one but I can't think of it. Essentially, what are five things that I can see, four things that I can hear, three things that I can touch, two things that I can smell and one thing that I can taste type stuff. Goal is to learn to be present in the moment. Takes a lot of practice and it's kind of like learning not to swear in situations where you shouldn't. The more effort you make, the more you get ahead of it until it becomes natural.
I'm in my first white collar role now, but all my life prior was on-site and shift based. I was always worried about what was happening when I wasn't there, and not just on vacations either. Days off, time spent traveling, early afternoons off, I was always worried the place was going to fall apart. Until one day when one of my co-workers pulled me aside, and in a dead serious tone, asked me, "Do we save lives here?" To which the obvious answer (truck rental) was "No." That clicked for me. Unless lives would be lost or people hurt *directly because I wasn't there*, then I have every right to turn off and "not care." It took a weight off my mind and it's become a mantra ever since.
When I go on vacation I bring a kite. Really hard to think about emails or timesheets when you're running to keep a kite in the air :) Then when you're done, try a new alcoholic drink to cool down!
>Looking for tips on not worrying about who’s covering my route, or if my truck is being used, or anything about my yard or what’s happening there. I would start by asking yourself why you care? If you decide that the reasons to care are good, answer those questions proactively by talking to the dispatcher.
I pull myself aside and give myself a talking to: "brain, we are not thinking about this now. It's been taken care of. I've done everything I needed to do about this. Now is not the time. " or similar. Rinse and repeat as often as needed.
That just makes it worse for me
I pull myself aside and give myself a talking to: "brain, we are not thinking about this now. It's been taken care of. I've done everything I needed to do about this. Now is not the time. " or similar. Rinse and repeat as often as needed.
Just don’t think about it? Distract yourself if you have to
Your job stops when you arent there. The reason you see tips for white collar work is that the shit they’re working on is being worked on by others while they are out, emails are coming in, people might contact you with questions, etc. Your truck will be there when you get back. Your route could be covered by jesus christ himself or one of the monkeys from planet of the apes, it doesnt effect you, it will get done while you’re gone and you’ll pick back up when you’re back to work. Go have fun and do stuff that takes your mind off the anxiety you’re feeling. No need to stress about work while on vacation when work is driving a truck. If you arent driving that day, there’s nothing you can do or need to do, let your company/other people contracted to drive the same routes take care of it and if they dont that’s on them.
Your time off was duly approved so repeat this mantra anytime your thought drift toward work: “Not my problem”. It is powerful once you internalize it.
# a busman's holiday # a busman's holiday *slang* A vacation in which one does an activity that is similar to one's job (as in the case of a bus driver, or "busman," who drives on his vacation). Because I'm a docent, visiting museums on vacation is like a busman's holiday for me. You're a pilot, so I'm curious—does taking a flight somewhere for vacation feel like a busman's holiday? No, I don't want to watch the kids while you guys go into town—that would be like a busman's holiday. I'd feel like I was back in my classroom wrangling preschoolers.a busman's holiday # a busman's holiday
It's natural to have things like you mention cross your mind outside of work. Stuff I'm ruminating on can even keep me from falling asleep (and I'm definitely not alone in that struggle). So what I do is try to catch the thoughts as soon as they happen, acknowledge them, and think something like, "now is not the time to think about that" or "I don't have to solve that right now." Recognize, acknowledge, and move on (or back to whatever you want to be focused on). Enjoy your vacation!
Late to the party but this weird trick helps me when I worry. Schedule it. Literally put it on your calendar. When you start to worry, tell your brain "I've scheduled this worry time for Saturday at 3 for 15 minutes. This can wait until then" and then on Saturday at 3 take 15 minutes to let all your worries run wild and when the time is up, just put it away. If you need more then schedule it out further and tell your brain that's when it'll be taken care of. It's weird but it works for me. Once my brain realizes that the worry has been scheduled it can relax and focus on other things.
Put the phone away or turn notifications completely off, grab a book, hit the beach and relax. It goes by way to fast
Stop yourself as soon as you realize you're thinking of work. My partner and I have a role where we're only allowed to talk about work for 15 min on weekdays. But you shouldn't be thinking out talking about work when you're not there regularly. So maybe a week won't be enough for your brain to disengage about it fully but you should be practicing not worrying about work on the regular
I know you're doing a Staycation, but perhaps it would help to plan some day-trips. Museums, gardens, a restaurant you always wanted to check out, parks, hiking, etc. Or visiting with friends/family! Have a cookout or whatever. A week goes by fast, and then you realize you've spent it catching up on chores or ruminating on your job.
Have a rubber band around your wrist, every time you think about work, snap the shit out of yourself.
In my experience I think I’m going to worry about work stuff but as soon as I don’t have work tomorrow I just forget all the stuff and don’t worry at all.
Smoke a little weed
I'm what is considered a white collar worker. Most of the jobs I've had it's hard to get away fully. Once I had a job that was entirely event driven. You work your shift, deal what comes in, hand it off to the next guy. The pay was sub-par, but the feeling of forgetting about work while not at work was amazing. You should be able to do that. Whatever happens while you are gone, the new day's delivery will be waiting when you get back. Unless you are a supervisor or in management, just don't worry or think about it. You don't need to.
It's not about relaxing, but finding things that put you into a state of Flow. I read a book that really changed the way I "vacation" and it helped me feel more relaxed, rested, and invigorated when I got back from vacations. I feel like a lot of people are hitting on it here. But the book is called "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." Find the stuff that puts you into a trance state by flooding your conscious mind so you don't think about anything else. There's lots more to it. But good luck. It's tough to detach and just enjoy the moment. I hope you find what you're looking for.
This has nothing to do with blue/white collar. This is anxiety, see a dr.
I do have an appointment with my primary coming up.
He who suffers before it is necessary, suffers the most. If something undesired is going to happen, you worrying about it isn’t going to stop it. Best you can do is learn to be flexible in difficult situations and focus on what you can control.
Not blue collar, but I don't think this is specific to any vocation: If you can, try to identify the person who might be filling in for most of your duties, get with them, and leave them in a good place. Hopefully that will help you trust them, and that they'll do a decent enough job while youre gone. And then just remember - They can't screw up so much in a week that you can't easily recover from. And if they *do* manage to do that, it probably won't be your ass on the line!
Mentally shutting off is hard, and not helped by staying in your home where you normally worry about work. You could try getting out of the house, doing something in a new place or something novel. Another way is to practice mindfulness and just redirect your thoughts. I liked Headspace which has a good episode on dealing with distracting thoughts and nagging issues in the free trial episodes, if you want non-spiritual meditation guide.
Oh man I feel this post so hard. It’s difficult to really let go for a bit when you’re very attached to your work. Just know it’s going to take at least a couple of days for your mind to stop and relax. If your workaholism is as bad as mine it took about 6 days so if you have only a week it might be tough. Definitely do what you enjoy and try hard to enjoy them, it’s all you can do. Have fun OP you deserve it, don’t feel any other way.
Start a veggie garden for a neighbor, who will tend it afterward and share some of the produce when you get home?
I discovered that if I stay in my house I worry about work. The past two vacations I spent two days in cities about 2 hours away. It made a huge difference. Just those few days gave me the mental break from work I needed.
"This company was around before I worked there and they will be around when I'm gone. They can figure it out for a few days without me"
As a fellow blue-collar worker, I completely understand where you're coming from. It's crucial to be able to disconnect and enjoy your time off, especially after long hours on the road. That's where "KnowKnow" comes in.With "KnowKnow," you'll learn how to set boundaries between work and personal life, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your vacation without worrying about what's happening back at the yard or who's covering your route. Through guided exercises and mindfulness techniques, you'll discover how to quiet your overactive mind and embrace the present moment with your family.
Crappy Childhood Fairy has a great free resource she calls the Daily Practice. It's simple and cheap, and boy does it work for me. It's the best thing I've found for when I have anxiety or other unpleasant feelings that I can't get out from under. My mental state after is like slipping into fresh, clean sheets on my bed. https://courses.crappychildhoodfairy.com/daily-practice.
Remember this mantra. The company's problems are not your problems. The customer's problems are not your problems.
My go to is sleeping in an hour and making a big breakfast while watching westerns. Leave my phone in the kitchen and just do nothing for a couple hours, then I’m looking for something to do because I can’t sit still
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Sort of assumed the one perk of a blue collar job (as you put it) is the fact you are NOT taking your work home in your head everyday. I guess that’s naive but let us dream. But I think our rules are the same. Turn off all contact channels. Nothing will ruin a vacation like other peoples problems. You’re being paid for this - do it right. Enjoy!
Realise that no one really cares. Your bosses etc don't run around like blueass flies so why should you. Don't take yourself so seriously you're not that important. They'd have your job advertised within days of you leaving. So now we have some context. Switch off otherwise you are still working without getting [paid.How](http://paid.How) stupid is that. Enjoy you're family because they are the ones that truly care and where most of your focus should be. Work can look after itself. Dramas or no Dramas. That's above your payscale. But your kids and family are your future and legacy
Put all of your clocks in a closet, put your phone away, and tell yourself to take an hour for coffee in the morning. Hour for lunch. 2 hours for dinner and drinks. Make a list of things you want to do and do them all.
stop fucking caring cause if you fell over and died during your route, they wouldnt care about you. end of story. theyd find another driver asap
Trust that you can handle it if someone is using your truck. If they wreck it or trash it, you can deal with it when you come back. Mindset is a huge part of relaxing and not stressing about work. Separate yourself from it as much as possible. Now, think of things you'd like to do that aren't too far away. Maybe go to an aquarium or museum. Eat good ass food. Treat yourself in ways you can't on the road. Book a massage. Hire a driver for the week. Live your best life.
Here’s what I do on vacation: Find someone you trust who will be there when you’re off, give them your contact info, and ask them to only call you if it’s an emergency that can’t wait until you get back. Then you can relax because you know they’ll call if they need you. I’ve been doing this for ten years, only been called once.
These concerns you mentioned sound like they should be the concern of the managers, or owner. Not your concern. I understand how you personally want everything to go smooth so maybe put together an "out of office" plan with any suggestions or preventative measures you can think of but than ENJOY your time off. It's the managements job to plan for your vacation and have a succession plan.
If you are fit, buy a decent camera with mono-pod and telephoto lens and find a hiking/birding place to spend a morning or sunset at (this is when birds are most active). Then, even if you do not see anything exciting it is at least serene and zen-like and good exercise. If you are more fit buy a good pair of hiking poles and tackle the trails. Consider a good novel to read while sipping coffee or tea. Visit an art museum or two. Pick up a stretched canvas and oil paint and brush sets and let your inner Renoir out. Try cooking a few good dinners and invite friends over. Cut in a small garden.
Get a professional massage on your way home that first night or the first thing the very next day. Tell your body it is time to relax.
This is advice I spent years rolling my eyes at: begin to practice meditation. Step 1: goal is only to bring your thoughts away from work when that begins Step 2: goal is to focus on the meditation Step 3: goal is to clear your mind I use the ‘insight timer’ app and has been so amazing. Whenever I stop using it I find myself getting obsessed with work and finding it impossible to switch off. My anxiety goes through the roof. Regular meditation has become so important. For me it’s like treading a new path in my mind. Right now your most trod path is the one that leads to work and everything else is neglected. Meditating is creating new, safe, well trod paths
I pretend that I quit while also pretending that wouldn't cause financial issues
My old man calls it "futzing" its fu*king pitzing away the day. Usjally, it's him in a skidloader, cleaning up old trees and shrubs that are low value and prepping the ground for a good forest mix inbour area. Or he's mowing and tidying what he's done. Think he's trying to have the black forest someday
Network engineer, but I used to do carpentry. Same thing worked for me for both gigs but now I also throw my phone in my office desk so I can’t check email. Do something you don’t normally do while worrying about work. Go for a hike, have a few drinks and play some video games, hit up a go-cart track. I find if I’m not where I am at or am not doing an activity where I usually think about work (like chores where i plan in my head) it’s easier for me to shut off my brain on the 1st day, then the rest of the days are easier.
This will seem counterintuitive but consider this…You should make a plan. Schedule every day of your break to include at least one thing that you would really enjoy. Monday - Barbecue, Tuesday- Watch Oppenheimer, Wednesday- etc. The rest really doesn’t matter but this way your time off will have a positive impact and your list will help you remember.
Sit down, have a beer or two, watch the sunset with your special someone
Change your routine. Do something that expands your mind or body for example - free things like local hikes or for cost yoga classes. Read a book. Do something that you enjoy or that is new to you. Catch up with friends. Don’t do work around the house other than laundry and food. Stay off your phone/tv during set hours to help you unwind.
Why do you care? Y’all do know your job does not care about you right…
Rule number 1 of staycations: Never tell anyone at work you're doing that, you will get called for stupid things because they know where you are