5 Tips To Get You Started On Your Stress Free Vacation
Even though the very concept of vacation is meant to be a stress reliever, many people actually have a hard time getting rid of stress before their vacation begins. Rest assured that it is possible to enjoy a stress-free vacation, and these are some tips that will help you do just that.
1. Don’t be too reachable
Granted, if there is a family emergency you should be available for calls. However, if you need to respond, you do not need all your devices nearby. Turn off the notifications for apps, games, social media, and work. The world is not going to end because you are not available to field questions. Chances are that you can wait a few hours before you check your phone again.
2. Do not check your work email constantly
This sounds like such a straightforward concept for vacation that it might surprise you to find how many people struggle with it. For many people, it is impossible to shut off work completely, it is intertwined with our lives. You are off the grid when you are on vacation. We are not suggesting that you leave your phone at home, but only checking two, three times a day is not going to cause too many issues for most people.
3. Do not try to plan everything
The important thing about a relaxing vacation is that you learn to go with the flow. Most of us have a basic idea of what we want to see and do when we get to our destination, but planning everything down to the minute is going to make it impossible to enjoy what is going on right in front of you. Rather than trying to narrow everything down to a minute-by-minute itinerary, learn to enjoy what you have at the time.
It is important that you do not over-schedule, because some people are caught up in the concept of needing to see everything. You should allow yourself plenty of time in the day for exploring, sitting, and wandering. That is why it might be good to limit yourself to one or two sightseeing excursions per day.
4. Do not stress about leaving things the way you want them
There are many people who do a great deal of extra work before leaving for vacation, all in hopes to cut down on the amount of work that they need to do when they get back. The unfortunate truth is, there will be a great deal of work when you get back, no matter how much you prepare before you leave.
Some people may benefit from doing a little prep work before they leave, but not everyone benefits from this when they get back. For some, the added preparation only leads to more stress. Prioritize those things that have a deadline while you are gone. Focus on what you need to do, and make sure that you put the non-pressing items on the backburner for now.
5. Remind yourself you are on vacation
It seems so simple, but so few people do it. Remember that you are not on vacation for it to serve as an extension from your work at a different location. You are never fully away if you feel compelled to check your voicemail or email constantly. This does not provide you with the mental break that you need from work. There is a reason that you earned these hours off, because you are bound to burn out without some time away.
