We book beach vacations to foreign places with the assumption that a change of scenery will automatically create peace and relaxation in our lives. And if we're not on a beach drinking out of coconut we might not feel like we're truly vacationing. But the truth is that stress recovery occurs in our minds not the physical spaces we take up.
A study at UCLA asked one group of participants to treat the coming weekend like a vacation and another group of participants to treat the coming weekend like a regular weekend. The group that treated the weekend like a vacation stayed in bed longer, ate more food and avoided housework or job related duties. After the weekend, the "vacationing" group was significantly happier than the other group, and in fact they were just as happy as other people who had taken an ACTUAL vacation.
One of the best things we can do is learn how to vacation in any location. Here are 3 ways to vacation in any location:
1. Get into a vacation mindset
Just simply remind yourself that you are on vacation. Every day that you're on vacation you should remind yourself and express gratitude for the time you have away from work. Remind yourself that this is your time to rest and recharge. Remind yourself that you have time to do the things you want to do. Remind yourself that you should relax. Be present every day and be mindfully aware that you are on vacation.
2. Take a mental vacation.
Virtual reality headsets let you travel to almost anywhere in the world so you can explore distant calming landscapes from the comfort of your living room. YouTube has a number of videos that show calm destinations (beaches, mountains, or lakes) with relaxing sounds or music. There are also auditory guided visualizations on Spotify or Apple music that can be done anywhere that bring your imagination to tropical landscapes. A short mental vacation can help reduce stress and anxiety and set the stage for a relaxing, beneficial vacation in any destination.
3. Practice relaxation techniques that can be done anywhere.
- Repetitive prayer - the late Dr. Benson, founder of the mind/body medical institute, suggests initiating the relaxation response by sitting in a comfortable position, choosing a single word such as peace or shalom, and then silently repeating the word for approximately ten minutes.
- Breath focus - Take long, slow, deep, controlled breaths and focus on your breathing instead of distracting thoughts, sounds or sensations.
- Body scan - Focus on one part of the body or a group of muscles and release any physical tension you feel there. For example, focus on your jaw and try to release tension there. Repeat this on all the different parts of the body. This helps boost your awareness of the mind-body connection.
- Yoga / Tai Chi - Move through a series of postures or flowing movements while controlling and focusing on breathing.
- Aromatherapy - Diffuse essential oils or apply products directly on the body. Lavender in particular has been shown to reduce anxiety and restlessness, and improve sleep.
- Mindfulness meditation - Sit comfortably, focus on your breathing and bring your attention to the present moment. If your mind drifts into thoughts about the past or future, don't engage with the thoughts, instead let them pass. (more on meditation later in this chapter)
Happy Vacationing 🏝