Feature Article
Summer
is Great Time for Power Couples
to Recharge and Reconnect
E. Carol Webster, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2003
Power couples need to join the ranks of those who
vacation in the summer. Many continue the high intensity networking and
business dealing all year long and then wonder why they feel ready to drop
from exhaustion. You’re going in one direction. He or she’s going in
another. You pass like ships in the night and hardly know what’s going on
with each other except the bare essentials. You have a lot of vacation time
for a reason — you need to take a break.
Take Time Off
Summer is a good time to give yourself permission to take
time off. Many businesses slow down at this point in the year and understand
that people in other companies are on vacation too. Yes, there’s work piling
up on the desk. No, it’s not going to get done by itself. But, nobody is
indispensable and it can wait until you’ve had a chance to recharge your
batteries. Nonstop working eventually leads to waning productivity and time
spent doing things over instead of doing them right the first time. This
comes from mind fatigue and physical exhaustion that affects even the best
and most successful people on the go. You have a generous leave package
because the stress of your job requires a long break, so coordinate your
schedules and take some time off. One week will give your body time to wind
down. Two will allow time to rest and then to do something you enjoy. If
this is not possible, a long weekend is better than nothing at all.
Do Nothing
Try to start out by doing nothing. Bum around, take it
easy, and give your mind and body a chance to bounce back from the hectic
pace you keep all year. This is hard when you have children, especially
little ones, and explains why sending the children to camp or to spend the
summer with relatives has always been so popular. Many power couples
relocate to their summer homes with good intentions of taking a break, but
arrive so loaded down with work that they might as well stay at the office.
Even if you are going to commute back and forth during the summer,
officially designate some of the time as bona fide "off duty" time. This
means cut the cell phone off, let the business e-mail go unchecked, and
leave the briefcase shut until the designated "vacation" time has elapsed.
Talk to Each Other
Since you will both be in the same place for more than a
few minutes for a change, take this opportunity to talk. There should be
more to the relationship than just giving instructions for the day or
conducting business about the bills, so have fun getting to know each other
again. It has sometimes been years since power couples spent time together
doing more than superficial entertaining or working the room at a networking
event. While they excel at this and may be well known around town for their
success, attractiveness and style as a couple, many can tell you very little
about their mate other because they rarely have time to enjoy each other.
Grabbing a few minutes here and there on the cell phone is not the same as
having time to lounge around and chat. Experience that great sense of humor;
re-awaken the romance. Take pleasure in sharing those dreams that once
brought you two together in the first place.
Review Plans
Use the time together to review those plans about where
you’re headed together. Often power couples are just sailing along without a
clear sense of where they’re headed individually or together. Being capable
and skilled people, they continue to encounter one success after the other,
but not always because of their own design or desire. People recommend them
for opportunities and situations are often fortuitous. There’s nothing wrong
with this, but take the time to review together how your life has been
proceeding and whether you both want to stay on the same path.
Redo Plans
If there is some disagreement about where your lives are
heading, redo the game plan. There’s nothing sacred about leaving things "as
is" if either of you are unhappy about the course of your life and need to
make some changes. Sometimes this means giving up aspects of your
current routine that you enjoy. Sometimes it means moving or making other
major changes. One of the most difficult changes can be letting go of some
of the materialisms and perks that go along with doing well in American
society. Many power couples decide that they want it all and set the course
on full speed ahead. When you do this, it’s all the more important to take
time off to re-energize so that you’re ready for the hectic pace that awaits
you.
Summertime is a great time for busy couples to step back
and take advantage of the lull in business and social demands to reconnect
with one another. It can be exciting to be in a relationship with someone
whose life is equally busy and chaotic because you feel okay about doing
your own thing, but you are in a relationship for a reason. Take time to
regroup emotionally and physically, and to rejuvenate the relationship too.
About the Author:
Dr. E. Carol Webster is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Fort
Lauderdale, FL and is author of
Success Management: How to
Get to the Top and Keep Your Sanity Once You Get There
and The Fear of Success:
Stop It From Stopping You!
