Recharging and Rediscovering—Summer Vacations Are Worth the Hassle!
Recharging and Rediscovering—Summer Vacations Are Worth the Hassle!
Everyone has a few fun stories about summer vacations. To be fair, the best stories are usually about something that went horribly wrong, but it’s still a memory, right? Your night in the fancy motel where the fire alarm kept going off randomly all night…having to spend the night in an airport because of delays…when the bear ate all your camp’s food…or the time you fell asleep in the sun and woke up with a killer sunburn, all make for great anecdotes! But if the most memorable parts of vacations are the unfortunate series of events, are vacations really that great? Wouldn’t it be better to stay home and relax instead of spending all the time and money to travel somewhere, so you know you’ll actually be rested afterwards?
Not necessarily. Changing up your environment, having new experiences, taking opportunities to unplug, and connecting and creating memories are all great motivations to take trips and vacations. You might even find that improved motivation and quality of life can come from prioritizing yourself and getting out of the rut of daily living.
There’s a lot of value in changing your environment. When you switch things up, it can give you a chance to reset and sometimes even facilitate changing your behaviors. Do you want to start eating more vegetables or start a daily exercise routine? A vacation, with less stressors and obligations, might be a perfect time! Getting out of your predictable surroundings and giving your brain and your body something different to do certainly has value. If you stay home, and just take time off of work or school or your regular responsibilities, it’s often hard to truly rest and relax, because all the things that usually need your attention are still close at hand.
Having new experiences also has value. It’s often on vacation that you can discover new things or may be willing to push past your comfort zone. It might even be helpful to be away from many of the people whom you have to see daily and weekly. Sometimes, knowing that no one will really know or remember if you fail spectacularly gives you a little extra courage to try something like rappelling, karaoke, horseback riding, or even just wearing some fun styles that would usually be outside your comfort zone. It’s a great chance to experiment and be brave! If there’s something you’ve been wanting to change about yourself or your behaviors, a vacation is a great opportunity to take it for a test run.
If you’re looking for rest and relaxation even more than self improvement or adventure, there are few things as freeing as unplugging. You don’t have to find a little cabin in the woods where there’s no cellphone service (though I highly recommend that if you can swing it!). But even letting everyone know you’ll be out of contact while on vacation, and possibly even signing out of your social media for a few days can be a breath of fresh air. We all need opportunities to take a break from all of the responsibilities (sometimes even if those are projects or people that we love) and do other things for a while.
Of course there’s the classic reason people take vacations. Connecting and creating memories is such an important part of our human experience, and taking a vacation with a partner, your family, your children, or your friends gives a chance for new (sometimes funny) memories. You can build connections with each other as you interact outside of your normal day-to-day. Hopefully you’ll even enjoy each other’s company more as you try some fun activities or at least escape from some of your stressors. Even if you vacation alone, you can make some amazing memories and maybe even connect with other solo travelers or the locals in whatever area you’re visiting.
And don’t forget your most important connection if you’re lucky enough to be traveling alone: the one with yourself. Solo travel can be a fantastic time to spend in introspection, evaluating how you’re really doing. It can be a great opportunity for checking in on your personal goals and happiness levels. Are there things you want to change? What is going well? It’s a good time to remind yourself that you’re a priority and practice that self-care a little. This is a good time to either work on finding some of those things, or to really dive into something that you know rejuvenates you.
So if you haven’t planned a summer vacation yet, maybe now’s the time. It doesn’t have to be overly expensive or take months of planning. Think outside the box and check into what your state or even your local area has to offer. Do something interesting; go somewhere different. Even if it’s just a few days, don’t discount the improvements that taking a little time away might have on your mental and physical health. You need time to rest, play, try new things, and work on your connections. You can thank me later!
(Or if you’d like to thank me now, or maybe chat about how we can orchestrate your “regular” life so you don’t need those breaks so badly, let’s set up a time to talk!)