Going off the grid

Since these past 5 years that I left France, I haven't been able to visit my family and friends as often as I wished, unfortunately. I have been busy firstly with studying abroad and then starting my career abroad like most of the people I know now.

I might go back 3 times a year maximum. One thing that these years have taught me is that it is important to keep in touch, take a break from the daily routine from time to time, pack your bags and go. Living abroad is not always easy. There might be some advantages, but everything that you do is on your own and you cannot share everything that you live every day with your friends and family, even if we use social media to keep contact.

One main issue with the Millennials lifestyle nowadays is that our lives are so busy that we do not make time for ourselves  anymore. Our work is at the center of our lives and we are busy all the time. It is common for me to see people in my company eat at their desks or not take any small breaks for a whole day and even work overtime. But where is the work-life balance in it? Being busy is one thing, being productive is another. 

Like John Lennon said in beautiful boy, "life is what happens when you are busy making other plans". If you put your priorities in just being busy every day, all day, when do you make time for yourself, doing something that you like or sharing some moments with your friends. 

I love my job, I keep on learning new things every day,  but it can also put a lot of pressure and become stressful quite fast. I consider myself like a battery, my work needs me to work, but at some point, the battery becomes weaker and weaker due to stress and fatigue that you accumulate because work is working 24/7 non-stop, but not you. Hence, the reason to take a break and go charge your battery. What a better place to do so than a getaway to an unknown place or a familiar place with your friends and family.

France, country side, TheMillennialNomad

I went a week ago back to France to celebrate a wedding in the city where my family lives. It was in the country side. The weather was awesome, France is having a heat wave this summer, up to 40 degrees celsius under the sun. Such a great feeling, when you live in Ireland, you try to enjoy as much sunshine as you can wherever you are!

Going back there was like opening a time capsule, especially in the house I used to live in. Nothing has changed, everything remains the same. Every object from the room brought me down memory lane and gave me flashbacks of the life that I tend to forget in my busy life today. It is a great reminder of where I have come from. No matter if those are good or bad memories, they allowed me to become the person I am today.

Walk in the forest in France, TheMillennialNomad

I was in the country side and the house was near the forest. It was great to be away from the noisy city and just reconnect with the nature. It was also a family reunion and it was nice to catch up with what I have missed due to the distance, even if I keep contact via social media, there are still some little things that I have missed.

Having a getaway from the daily routine and busy lifestyle felt great, my battery is charged. I believe that going off the grid from time to time is re-energising and helps to put your thoughts in order to have a clearer vision of your life in order to set priorities on what is important and what is necessary for you. I highly recommend it. It is also one of the reason I love to travel.

What about you guys, do you often go off the grid?