Often times, you need a vacation after your vacation. That most likely is a result of not maintaining your self care routine during your trip. That is understandable. The excitement we get when we go away gets us through the trip itself, but the crash normally begins on the way home. Exhaustion and the dreaded return to work. There’s so much laundry to catch up on, you need to grab groceries, and there’s no time for any of it. What happened? Why do you feel just as stressed as you did before your vacation? The vacation was supposed to be a reset. Deep down inside, you might suspect you did something wrong. With a little planning and discipline, your next vacation can truly be a much needed recharge.
The Importance Of Taking A Vacation
Vacations are important to maintain a good work-life balance. A staggering number of people are guilty of not taking all of their allotted vacation time. It’s hard to schedule the right time, especially when you have a family or a partner you need to coordinate schedules with. There are also limitations from certain workplaces of when you can take your time which may conflict with other variables you need to contend with. Additionally, companies don’t always have your best interest in mind, so you need to make sure you advocate for your time.
Vacations don’t need to be to far away lands or for extended periods of time, although they can be. Even if you plan a day trip or a weekend getaway, it all counts as a vacation. Even a staycation is better than nothing. The point is to get out of your regular life and get a change of scenery. Do things you normally wouldn’t do. And rest. Vacations should help recharge you and get you ready to tackle life upon your return.
Planning
Vacations can be stressful. Both planning a trip and going on it can increase your stress. But this is a different stress to what you experience daily, and the end goal is worth the effort. If you approach your planning using your self care goal setting strategies, you can break it down into manageable steps.
Choose your destination carefully and be aware of any tasks that need to be completed before your departure. When travelling out of country, not only do you need your passport to be current, you also need to make sure you look into any additional travel requirements including documents and vaccinations. Some of these processes can take months, you don’t want to ruin your vacation before it even starts by missing something. Do your research. Online reviews also help you get your transportation and accommodations figured out in advance, and any activities that are recommended for the area.
If you choose to stay closer to home, you still need to do a little research and planning. Even if you stay in your own city, try to look at a staycation as a chance to explore your own city with fresh eyes. Go to places you normally would not go to, and perhaps stay at higher-end accommodations than you normally would given that you don’t have travel costs to contend with. You deserve to treat yourself, and if you plan for the basics, you can make saving for your trip a part of your vacation goal.
Discipline
Although you need to create a structure for your vacation, leave room in your plans for a little spontaneity. If your vacation is overly structured, it becomes more of a burden than fun. Regardless of what type of vacation you take, make sure that your itinerary includes self care elements every day and stick to them.
By incorporating self care into your vacation, you can not only maximize the effects of taking time off, you also don’t detrimentally impact your self care routine. If you don’t keep self care in mind, upon your return home, restarting your self care can be hard. It’s easy to prioritize other people and your return to work because you may feel guilty for having had a vacation. Or you may be so tired that it’s hard to force yourself back into healthy routines.
10 Vacation Self Care Tips
Self care while on vacation does not need to be extreme. By being intentional about your priorities, you can maintain a few basics:
- Eat well and hydrate. Balance your nutritional intake needs and drink plenty of water. If you are there for an extended period of time, you can hit a supermarket to grab some things to snack on or that are easy to prepare without a kitchen
- Take breaks throughout the day to rest and keep your normal sleep schedule. Jet lag can affect your circadian rhythm so try to reset quickly
- Hitting the gym might not be possible, but you need to at least walk every day
- Build the relationship with your travel companions, and don’t be afraid to meet new people.
- Breathe throughout the day to calm your nervous system
- Spend time outdoors and in nature, this helps calm your mind
- Jot some thoughts down to maintain your writing practice and document things that bring you awe
- Disconnect from the digital world, this includes not checking work emails
- Be mindful. Take a few moments throughout each day to be fully present and listen to your body
- Recognize the hard work you put into making your vacation happen, and be grateful for being able to take a break from life
You can have more elements of self care on your vacation, but these are a good starting point. During your planning stage, consider what essential self care you can do on your getaway. Make a list in advance to help you remember and minimize stress.
Enjoy your vacation!
Vacations can be stressful, but with a little planning and discipline, you can truly enjoy it. Knowing what self care tools come more easily to you can help you decide what to take with you on your trip. Planning also helps reduce the stress of a trip, but you can’t control everything. Knowing that will make those situations more manageable and go into it with an open mind. This will also allow you to pivot if you discover something new or if you need to just take it easy. Remind yourself that the vacation is a way to reset your mind and a way to incorporate new adventures into your life. As an added bonus, the more you travel, the more you start to appreciate the little things in life. Warning, you may also want to travel more.
IMAGE CREDIT: Unsplash | Yu Kato.