Posted this on my LinkedIn today and thought I'd share here as well....

 

In the first 6 months of 2021 I took a total of 4 hours of vacation time -- 1/2 day sometime in March that I don't even remember.  I lost/gave up/forfeited (having hit my 200 hour limit at some point during this time) 37 hours of vacation time.
 
During the same period, I took a total of 187 hours of sick/personal leave -- almost 5 weeks. 
 
Before I say anything else about this, I want to acknowledge the privilege of working somewhere with very generous paid time off policies and acknowledge that this isn't the case for many people.
 
Since February 1, 2021, I have had more doctors appointments then I can keep track of, went through 2 major surgeries, and 16 days of radiation treatments.  I endured weeks of waiting to find out what the treatment plan would be -- chemo or no chemo? (The answer was no chemo).  I probably took way fewer recovery days than I should have and when I was working, put in, on average, 9-10 hour days easily (the unfortunate result of workaholic tendencies that had no checks and got slightly out of hand during the height of the pandemic).
 
When I let people know that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer, everyone told me to take care of myself.  To make sure to take the time I needed.  The truth is, when you are in the middle of it all, you take the sick time you need and nothing more.  You don't take days off just to have a break. There are no vacations from fighting cancer. 
 
Something switched this past week.  With radiation behind me and the next phase of treatment still to be determined, I no longer had an excuse for not taking vacation.  Today, I took the day off.  It was the perfect day off. I went on an 8 mile hike with my husband and our dog (see photo below for the spectacular view) and I plan on taking the next 2 Friday's off as well.  Maybe I'll even take the next 3 or 4 Friday's off?
 
And, you know what else I did?  I let anyone who tried to contact me today via email know exactly what I was doing.  I didn't hide the fact that I had taken the day off to go hiking, I made sure that anyone who tried to reach me knew it by including it in my OOO message.  Felt really good to do that too.  I highly recommend it.
 
So, the moral of this story...when you are in the middle of a health crisis, it's highly unlikely that you will prioritize vacation and self care (at least self care that doesn't involve recovery or doctor's visits).  However, once you are in a place where you can prioritize yourself in a different way, do it.  Don't make a million excuses (the me before cancer would have).  TAKE YOUR VACATION DAYS.