How to Unwind and Relax While on Vacation

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer.  Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."

Leonardo da Vinci

 

"Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order of life flow through one's being."

Donald Curtis
 

Probably the most relaxing vacation in our lives
was in our over-water bungalow in Bora Bora

Why do we go on vacation?  Maybe to get away from the everyday, to relax and de-stress?   Sure, sometimes it is a spirit of adventure, seeing new things, exploring our world.  But even then, the hope is to have fun and come home somewhat relaxed and ready to conquer whatever life throws us.

But too often people return from vacation more stressed than when they left.  Things don't always go right when we travel.  As I have said many time "stuff happens".  And how we deal with that, makes a difference on how we view our vacation when we return.

A perfect example of this is when my daughter and son-in-law planned a trip to England a few years ago.  My daughter had been looking forward to going back there for years.  They booked their trip and were looking forward to it.  The day before the trip, the airlines they had booked with went out of business.  Suddenly they were without transportation.  We scrambled and got them some air on another airlines, but they had to leave a day later, and now this airfare cost more.  They knew they would get their money back on the old airfare, because they had put it on their credit card.  But the trip became stressful before they even took off.  Some people handle stress better than others.  Do you let something like this ruin the trip for you, or do you go with the flow and say "Oh well, it happened, now we are going to have fun."  I opt for the latter.  You can't change what life throws at you, but you can decide whether it is going to get you down or not.


Mountain Tubing in Kauaii
A fun way to relax

Some people just have a hard time relaxing, no matter what they are doing.  They take that vacation, and then still spend their days worrying about work, or reading the paper and stressing about what is happening in the world.  I'm a firm believer that when you are away, you should take your mind off the everyday.  We seldom look at the news or the paper when away, the world will still be there when we get back.  As an example, we were in Spain on 9/11 and it wasn't until late of the afternoon of the 12th that we even knew anything had happened, and then only because we were told by the couple in the timeshare next door.  We probably would have been oblivious for several more days.  We were relaxing and enjoying our trip, and not paying any attention to the world news.  It was probably good in this situation that we were finally informed, but a few days of oblivion wouldn't have hurt either.

So what can you do to make sure you relax and enjoy that vacation?  Below are a few suggestions.
                                                                                                               

Going for a sail might
help to relax and de-stress you

Practice Letting Go
Your brain is always working, it's hard to relax.  You need to practice on a daily basis. At some point each day make a deliberate point of shifting out of work mode.  Keep that eternal to-do list at bay.  Put aside some time everyday where you are not tied to your phone or computer.  Taking a walk everyday can be helpful.  Going for a sail is always relaxing, and you can usually book those if you are on vacation near the water.  Or just sitting quietly and practice some deep breathing. 

Disconnect
There was a time in our lives when we were not connected every moment to a phone or computer.  If you are young, you may not remember that time.  But for those of us who are slightly older, we do remember that.  Everyone now thinks that if the phone in your pocket rings, it has to be answered.  It doesn't matter where you are, or if you are talking to an actual live person, heaven forbid that the person calling you would have to wait to talk to you.  Well I do have news for you, they are not usually that important, and they can wait.  So when you go on vacation, yes you want to stay a little connected - just in case an emergency comes up, but don't carry that phone with you everywhere, leave it turned off, or in the hotel room, and go enjoy yourself, away from your everyday world.  And make sure that work cannot reach you - remember, you are on vacation!  Trust me, your workplace will not implode while you are away. 

Swimming can be relaxing

Endure the Boredom
There you are, lying on a chaise on the beach, a book at the ready.  But instead of relaxing and reading you are worrying about what is happening at home, or about an upcoming meeting, or what to cook for a dinner party you are planning when you get home.  Fight through this.  Maybe schedule some low-stress activity, like taking a nature walk, swimming, snorkeling, yoga on the beach, or force yourself to start that book.  Or even better, schedule a massage at the spa at your hotel.

Don't Overdo Before you Go
Before I go on vacation I quite often spend that week before cleaning, and organizing my home.  I want to make sure the house is clean for the house-sitter, and that when I come home there won't be too much to do.  I feel like this will make me worry less while I am gone.  But don't overdo it.  The house doesn't have to be spotless.  Getting too involved with making sure everything is perfect before you go can put added stress on you, which will be hard to let go once you leave on your trip.



Relaxing with a beer in Croatia

Don't Over Plan Your Vacation
If you are on a tour, your plans are pretty much set in stone.  You go where you are told and for how long they tell you.  But any vacation where you are on your own, you can make your own plans.  And yes, you will probably have some of those plans in place before you go, such as air, hotel, transportation.  But don't schedule your whole vacation, minute by minute, ahead of time.  Leave time for some spontanity.  Take time to sit down and watch the people around you.  Have a beer or indulge in some sweet, and relax.  Sit by the pool or on a beach.  Even if you are on a tour, there is usually a little free time, spend that time relaxing.  And don't worry about what you are going to go see next.  Whatever it is, it will be there when you get there.

Me and my dogs at our river in Washington

Every summer we head north with our dogs to spend a few weeks at our cabin by the river.  It is fairly isolated, in the woods, no TV, no internet connection. and until this year we had no cell phone connection.  This year the cell phone did work, which is good in case of emergency, but I found I seldom used it anyway.  We spend our days on the deck, relaxing, watching the wildlife and taking it easy.  I like to go down for a swim, or float around on my inner-tube, but we don't do anything that we don't want to do.  Sometimes we get up in the morning and drive into town, to the local Starbucks, where we check our email and send back responses, and have a cup of Chai.  We have family and friends in the area that we visit, but mostly we have them come out to us, and we all enjoy the river.  This is a vacation where we do truly relax and de-stress.  We all need to do that once in awhile.

You can find a place like that where you can go and de-stress.  There are plenty of rental cabins at the beach or in the woods.  A place where you can truly get away from it all.  Trust me, you will be glad you did.