The Positive of Selfishness

I've previously talked about the fear of burning out as a trainer from overwhelming myself with work. How does one push and challenge their own limits without burning out? Or the opposite; how does one avoid burning out without putting themselves into a rut?

VACATION! While this may not be the best approach for all trainers, or people in general, vacationing has helped tremendously in maintaining my love for this work. It seems counterproductive, the thought of taking time away from the job you love so you can continue to love it. I mean, if you love it so much you shouldn't need to vacation from it, right? That way of thinking often meant that I was overworking myself and reaching a point losing motivation from sheer exhaustion, both physically and mentally.

With the strict closures that the pandemic brought on in 2020, getting out of the house became a necessity. I'm sure everyone has experienced the frustration of going stir-crazy in your own home and the need to get away. Coming up with a COVID friendly vacation idea was very easy, given that my husband and I are both outdoorsy people. Thus, camping trips began!

First, it was a weekend camping trip up to Baldwin Lake. We weathered a hail storm, battled rough terrain, and most importantly, went off grid for a weekend. Being physically unable to check my social media, text messages, and phone calls was extremely stressful at first. I wanted to know how my clients were doing. I was worried something may go wrong at the service dog program I work for. After the first night, that anxiety quickly receded. Worrying and wondering would not make our trip any more enjoyable and certainly wouldn't change the outcome of anything that was happening at home. Coming home from the trip, I was expecting a wave of even more anxiety, anticipating some sort of disaster either at home or at work. On the contrary, everything was exactly how I left it.

Coming home to find that I could, in fact, trust the people I had take care of my home and students was extremely rewarding. A sigh of relief. Suddenly, I wanted to do it again! August came around and we chose to do a longer camping trip near Lincoln Creek. We hiked to Petroleum lake and fished for Cutthroat trout (remember to check restrictions when you go fishing! Each location is different), drove up to abandoned mine shafts, explored adjacent miners' cabins, and enjoyed the freedom of having no cell service. Similar to the previous camping trip, I was able to breathe a breath of fresh air (literally) knowing that I didn't need to worry about my responsibilities at the time. Again, what does worrying do when we're miles from home with not a single bar of service?

Returning home from Lincoln Creek was yet another sigh of relief. Nothing had changed for the negative. My substitute took great care of my students, my plants survived, and a stray cat I had been feeding at the time didn't miss a meal. After the second camping trip, I truly started to understand why physically getting away, and not just having days off, was so important for keeping my love of dog training alive. So much of my work involves selflessness; sacrificing sleep, traveling long distances, pushing my social interaction limits, and being a strong support system for my clients; and I wouldn't change it for the world. I've found that finding opportunities to be selfish helps me to truly appreciate the impact my work has on my clients and why trainers are so essential today.

So often I forget to take care of myself when I'm so busy taking care of others; taking vacations has helped me rekindle that drive to be selfish and focus on myself. It isn't always a camping trip or days of vacationing, either. Sometimes it's turning off my phone and going for a solo hike, gearing up and driving up to the mountains to fish, or bouncing around off-road trails. To conclude this blog, I'd like to remind you, my reader, that "selfish" is not a bad word. Selfishness saved my passion for the work I do and it could very well do the same for you.

Our first vacation of 2021 is coming up next month and I know it has been well earned!

Thank you, again, for taking the time to read my blog. I'm definitely not a writer and haven't formally written since high-school, but I truly value this outlet I have to be able to express myself and put my feelings and thoughts into words.