A ROOT Awakening: 3 Steps To Vacation While You Vacation
Summer is the ultimate season for vacationing and one of the busiest travel times of the year. Ever since childhood, summer was thought of as a time for play. However, as the responsibilities of “adulthood” settle in, stresses like finances, work deadlines and limited vacation days begin to dampen our sense of this playful season. In fact, studies have shown that people are happier during the planning and anticipation stages of their vacation than they are during or after them! Why? Because unless you’re able to truly relax during your vacation, there is no way you can feel any happier (or more recharged) when you come home.
I started thinking about this last week as I planned my first big trip with my fiancé. We will be heading off to Maui in just a few weeks. I’m literally counting down the days old-school style by putting a big “X” on each day on the calendar. Maui is calling my name! But as excited as I am about this tropical paradise, I am just as anxious about the projects and work I’m leaving behind. Side note: Look out for pictures and poses from my island getaway.
While our intention to go on vacation is to get away and recharge, sometimes just the thought of leaving our “to do” list can be overwhelming and bring up anxiety and stress. So, I decided that I am going to challenge myself (and you) to put into practice 3 tools to experience a true vacation on your vacation!
1. Grant Yourself Permission: Vacations are an opportunity to escape from the day to day and immerse ourselves in a new, and hopefully stress free, environment. We plan trips to beautiful and interesting places confident that the scenery will provide us the peace we are looking for or at least help us get there. As I planned my own vacation, I noticed that my first thought was, “I’ll have so much time to get things done!” Yikes, I was already planning on working! Sadly, I am not alone in this.
More than half of Americans spend most of their vacation working. Granting ourselves permission to not work and unplug is often a forgotten step. We may have opened the space in our schedule, but have we opened the space in our mind? To truly be on vacation, give yourself the green light to leave your device(s) behind and create the mental space to soak up the abundance of where you are. For me, overloading my senses with the smells and sounds of my new place (for Maui that’s sand, sun, surf), will help me stay present and are tangible reminders of why I am there.
2. Daily Meditation and Journaling: Both mediation and journaling have shown to have significant effects on our mood. The challenge with being on vacation is that we always bring our daily habits along with us. So even though we know we’re away, we still might wake up feeling anxious and overwhelmed. When I am on vacation, I always meditate in the morning. First, it takes me out of the habit of feeling like I need to rush out the door. After all, I’m on vacation- where am I running off to? Second, it helps ground me into my body which takes me away from the never ending mental “to do” list.
When we are in our body, we afford ourselves the opportunity to notice if we are feeling tense or stressed and can begin to navigate towards surrendering and absolving that feeling.
Journaling, another powerful tool, invites us to record our experiences. This can be as simple as listing the magnetism that surrounds us or writing down a simple note or word highlighting the experience of the day. Journaling acts as a beautiful reminder of our trip and helps us focus on the bounty of wellness that we have permitted ourselves to be in.
3. New Adventures: There is no better time to open yourself up to new things than when on vacation. For me, this is the ultimate “I am on vacation” symbol. Anytime I go away, my favorite thing to do is to explore the uniqueness of that place. This can be anything from tasting traditional cuisine, snorkeling in clear blue waters, or zip-lining through a scenic rainforest. Either way, when we open up to new adventures, we are encouraged to shift out of our comfort zones. We are less easily distracted and more inclined to stay present so we can experience the (perhaps once in a lifetime) moment.
Are you ready to get away? Where and when is your next trip? How will you grant yourself permission to recharge?
Don’t let the waiting part of your vacation be the highlight. Instead, explore these tips to truly recharge your battery and effectively boost your sense of joy throughout the year!
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