What you can do on a pandemic staycation
Time away from ‘office’ can benefit your work and your well-being
In early June, Trisha Enriquez should have been on a family vacation in the Caribbean with her husband and two daughters to celebrate her birthday and wedding anniversary. It’s a time of the year that she’s usually found on holiday.
The trip was cancelled because of COVID-19, but Enriquez found a creative way to celebrate at home on the day of her birthday, June 3.
“We created a beach resort in our master bedroom,” she explains. “We had beach towels out and we made tropical drinks with oranges on the side. We had music playing and I brought our plants into our bedroom to make it feel somewhat tropical.”
While it wasn’t exactly the Caribbean, it was a fun day that Enriquez’s daughters enjoyed. Just as important, Enriquez and her husband took the day off work to celebrate.
“It’s good to check out, to really, truly check out from work, because we needed it,” says Enriquez, who works full-time as a territory manager for a pharmaceutical company while also running the local mom blog No Tummy Mommy. “You almost feel like you’re working way more hours because you’re home and you can jump on your computer all the time.”
With widespread layoffs and slowdowns in business, Jelena Zikic, an associate professor at York University’s School of Human Resource Management, says that workers may feel more guilt about taking time off from work.
“It’s the perception that if you’re taking a vacation, it’s seen negatively and you’re not dedicated enough to your life at work,” she says.
But time away from the “office,” even if just for a day or an extended long weekend, can benefit your work and your well-being, too. Zikic points to research from the University of Konstanz, which surveyed teachers before and after a vacation, and found that work engagement significantly increased and burnout significantly decreased after a vacation. Those who are unemployed may treat their job hunt like a full-time job, but taking a day away from the computer is still important.
“People who are unemployed should consider taking time off from their job search even more,” says Zikic. “In job searching, there’s a lot of worry, anxiety, pressure and uncertainty. But like how people joke about getting their best ideas while they’re showering, once you are allowing your brain and your thoughts to simply wander, and to be more relaxed and to refocus, oftentimes the best ideas will come up in those moments.”
While we might not be able to hop on a plane or embark on a lengthy road trip, there are still plenty of adventures that can be had in the city. Art institutions like the AGO may be closed, but Matt McNama, corporate communications manager at Tourism Toronto, suggests embarking on a self-guided graffiti walk to take in public displays of art.
“Rush Lane, also known as Graffiti Alley, is one of Toronto’s most iconic tourist attractions and reflects the city’s diversity and art scene,” McNama says. “It’s a living canvas that’s constantly changing. Right now, the alley is being transformed to support Black Lives Matter. There has never been a more interesting time to visit.”
The Keele-Dundas West Alleyway is also a popular spot for graffiti. You may have caught glimpses of it from the subway while travelling east between Keele and Dundas West stations, but now is a great time to admire these works of art up close. The Royal Ontario Museum has also shut its doors for the pandemic, but David Grafstein, chair of the ROMWalks committee, has some ideas for experiencing the city’s heritage and history outside of the museum. Grafstein usually hosts about a dozen walks a year and, while ROMWalks have also been cancelled during the pandemic, he encourages us to get out and explore on our own.
One of Grafstein’s favourite neighbourhoods to visit is the area around Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto. He begins at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, then heads north into the university campus. “There are lots of trees so it’s really pleasant,” says Grafstein. “You also get a real taste of 19th, 20th-century and some 21st-century architecture here.”
Whether you’re exploring Queen’s Park or another historic district, Grafstein has a tip to make the most of your selfguided tour: “Make sure you look at the second level of every building,” he says.
“There’s a lot going on above street level, a lot of details, a lot of interesting windows, a lot of little statues and architectural things.” For example, over the front entrance to Knox College, which is one of the oldest buildings at the University of Toronto, Grafstein says there are small statues depicting “the kinds of activities that one would expect of scholars.”
Grafstein also advises us to be on the lookout for public sculptures. “There’s sculpture everywhere,” says Grafstein. “Sometimes it’s hidden and out of the way.”
A great example is “The Archer,” a sculpture in Nathan Phillips Square by Henry Moore. Queen’s Park is also home to plenty of sculpture, many of which portray former premiers of the province.
Two last tips for those embarking on city tours: “Take water with you,” says Grafstein. “And make sure you go to the washroom before you set out on a walk because there aren’t very many places to avail yourself, especially these days.”