The Staycation I Definitely Needed, the Break You Definitely Deserve

By Ruby Cole-Ellise, Co-Founder & Editor in Chief

At the beginning of August, I accidentally gave myself a retreat.

I had some time off from my business coaching contract, no weddings on the calendar, and a few very busy months ahead. It felt like the perfect window to pause. But, I must confess, taking the time off didn’t come easily. This year has been… a lot.

There have been health challenges, heartache, sadness, illness, unexpected turns and plenty of moments that have completely disrupted the neat little plans I had made for the year. The goals I had projected. The revenue I thought I would hit. The timelines I had mapped out. The things I thought I would have accomplished by this point.

Somewhere along the way, I started carrying this constant feeling that I was behind. Behind in business. Behind at home. Behind on the endless to-do lists. Behind on the version of 2026 I thought I was supposed to be living.

So when this little window of time appeared, I knew I needed to take it.

Usually, when I have free time, I fill it. A trip to Guatemala. A family vacation. A conference. Somewhere to go, something to do, someone to take care of.

This time, I decided to stay home. And yes… I kept the kids in daycare. *Cue MASSIVE MOM-GUILT*

The first couple of days were surprisingly uncomfortable. I had intentionally left my calendar empty, and when the weather finally cooperated, I found myself sitting on the deck in the sunshine thinking, “Shouldn’t I be doing something?!”

I had to remind myself that Matt was at work. My kids were happy and cared for and I didn’t need to earn a few hours that belonged entirely to me.

That realization became part of the retreat. I journaled. I read. I let myself be still… and slowly, the guilt started to soften.

Then I began filling my days. Not with work, but with things I had been putting off for myself. A dentist appointment, chiropractic care, physiotherapy for the tailbone I broke months ago, a massage, a facial… Little things that somehow always end up at the bottom of the list.

Ooooh, and then came “the purge”.

I went through closets, drawers, the garage, the pantry, the kids’ clothes, my clothes. Literally everything. I donated things that no longer fit, no longer suited me, or simply no longer felt like me. I threw out expired food. I cleared spaces that had quietly become cluttered.

And then, something interesting happened: the physical decluttering created mental space, too. There was emotional purging alongside it. Journaling, letting go, forgiving myself, forgiving others, and making peace with things I had been carrying.

Without really planning it, I had created a whole-person retreat: body, mind, home and heart.

And then I came back to reality. *CUE THE TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC*

My inboxes were seriously overflowing. Things had piled up and for a brief moment, that familiar voice returned: “See? You shouldn’t have taken the time off. Look at everything you have to catch up on!”

But instead of panicking, I paused. I gave myself the same advice I give my coaching clients all the time:

You are not just the CEO of your life. YOU are YOUR best employee.

If you had an employee who was your top producer, your most valuable team member, your employee of the month, would you tell her to skip lunch? Never take a vacation? Work every weekend? Push through when she’s exhausted? Never unplug? Of course not!

So why do we expect ourselves to operate that way?

This staycation gave me something I didn’t realize I desperately needed: space to think. Space to look at what I was doing and ask better questions.

Does this actually make sense?

Is this actually making me money?

Do I actually want to do this?

Does this still align with where I’m going?

Or am I saying yes simply because I’m used to saying yes?

And because I wasn’t operating from complete exhaustion, I was able to make decisions from a place of clarity.

I said no to things. I let some things go. I prioritized what actually mattered. I stopped trying to make the second half of this year look like the first half. Instead, I decided to draw a line in the sand.

I don’t have to be behind. I don’t have to make up for lost time. I don’t have to force the original plan to happen just because I wrote it down six months ago.

I thought to myself, “maybe August can be my own little New Year!”

A chance to reset the expectations and revisit the goals. Clear the clutter and make space. Because sometimes we don’t need to push harder. Sometimes we need to slow down to rev up.

I’m proud of how I handled the week after my staycation. I didn’t immediately fall back into panic mode. I didn’t say yes to everything. I prioritized and created boundaries and I gave myself grace. I realized that the real gift wasn’t the massage, the facial, the clean closet or the empty calendar. It was coming back to myself with enough space to actually hear what I really needed.

For the remainder of this year, I’m challenging you to create your own mini retreat.

Maybe it’s a full staycation. Maybe it’s one afternoon. Turn off the noise. Put something on your calendar that is just for YOU. Clear a drawer. Book the appointment. Sit in the sun. Journal. Let something go. You don’t have to wait for January to start again!

If you’re feeling inspired, grab your journal and sit with these:

Where in my life am I carrying the feeling that I’m “behind”? Is that actually true or am I measuring myself against an old expectation?

What have the last six months taught me that I didn’t know when I made my original plans?

What am I ready to release (physically, mentally, emotionally or energetically)?

If I treated myself like my very best employee, what would I change?

What would I choose if I made decisions from a place of space instead of pressure?

What does my “new year” look like from here? What is something I can do for ME?