Create a vacation in everyday
Photo by Monica Elizabeth
Social media will give you extreme travel FOMO if you let it. Everyone is jet setting here and there, showing off their passport stamps and beach pics. And though taking fun trips are super beneficial to your mental health, life experience, and overall enjoyment… it’s also important to create vacation in your everyday life. This way, you’re not solely existing for the next chance to “live it up” on the weekend or constantly feeling the need to “escape” your everyday reality with flights, villas, cruise ships, resorts, etc.
The first way we can create mini vacations everyday is by taking small daily breaks. But not just any break. Small MINDFUL breaks. According to Mindful.org “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
One of the best ways to get into a state of mindfulness is to go outside. Take a break from whatever you’re working on, leave your phone inside or on silent in your pocket, go outside and just be. Bring your mind into the awareness of your surroundings, become aware of your breathing, become aware of the temperature outside, the breeze, the sun, the clouds etc. Just observe without judgment or overreaction. Just be. Ironically we tend to do this when we are actually on a vacation quite often. You sit on the beach and you watch the waves, you lay out in the sun and tan, you go to the hotel pool and float watching the clouds, you sit on your cabin porch sip coffee on the mountainside etc. This is part of the reason we feel so refreshed after vacation. But here’s a secret…you don’t have to book a flight to recreate this feeling. You don’t have to pay a fee to feel free. Outside is available 24/7. The freedom to get some fresh air is available at anytime you chose. The chance to be present is available 24/7. You just have to seize the opportunity.
The second way we can create vacation everyday is by opening ourselves up to spontaneity. Drive a different way home from work. Take the street way instead of the highway. Go to a different grocery store and allow yourself to be exposed to some new products, spices, treats etc. Be a tourist in your own city and go to that new museum, visit a local park you’ve never been to, go to concert or play you wouldn’t normally attend. Get out of your comfort zone. This also mimics what we do when we’re on a fun trip out of town or abroad. We taste new food, we shop in new stores, we drink wine we can’t pronounce, etc. We feel full of excitement and life, why? Because we are embracing change, and being in the midst of change forces us to be present. It becomes really hard to worry about the future (anxiety) or lament the past (depression) when we are enthralled in the wonder, curiosity, and newness of change happening in our present moment.
So how can you implement a little more mindfulness and spontaneity in your life? What vacation do you plan on taking today? No boarding passes allowed.
Love & Light - ZYAH
