With the economy the way it is today, and for those of us who are still employed, am issue is:
What to do with vacation time?
Even though we have the time, many cannot afford to go anywhere.
As a result, a new word has been created, “staycation,” whereby we learn to enjoy the time at home instead of elsewhere.
A staycation is not a bad thing.
No airport security to deal with, no having to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight, no cramped seats to sit in for hours as your plane makes it’s way to your fun vacation spot, no issues of foreign languages, no money being spent on souvenirs, no worries of forgetting your medications or the right clothes.
Do you have enough clothes? Will your pets be okay while you are gone? No worrying if you left the iron or stove on.
It is important to note here that vacations are important to body and soul. As human beings, we were not designed for routine in terms of work hours or days.
We become jaded, often losing our edge,. We feel more tired and depressed than usual as every day takes on sameness.
Routine and sameness, whilst on some level reassuring, in the end is not healthy.
We want and need to be stimulated.
New sights, new sounds, new tastes, different fashions, lifestyles and cultures help us to remain alert. We remain more alert as the body and the mind are in an environment that is not familiar so all our senses are more alert as the brain processes the new stimuli. We become more observant. We listen better. We become interested again in the most mundane things, just because they are not in our usual surroundings.
Standing at a Different Angle
An example: A little rubber ducky that you would not give a second thought to at home, now becomes an object of interest only because you are viewing it in an entirely different country or city.
How can we transport these same thoughts and feelings to a staycation?
We can choose to just be at home and continue the sameness, but without having to go to work.
Or we can take this as an opportunity to revisit the town where we live, even a nearby town, with a new set of eyes.
I lived in London for 17 years. I began to find that the things that were available for me to do became old hat.
I had seen the museums and art galleries, been to the theater, the opera, the libraries the river, the historical monuments. I found, sadly, I needed a different stimulus. I left England to see the world.
Interestingly enough, whenever I return to England for a visit, there never seems to be enough time to see and do all the things that I want to see and do. What used to be old hat once again is new and fresh. My eyes are constantly soaking in all the amazing sights and sounds. The pubs, the restaurants, the busy streets full of shoppers.
Most of us suffer from this same attitude.
We live in a city where we can be in the ocean or in the mountains in a short time. Yet we are so caught up in our daily routines we simply ignore them. We live in a culturally amazing city and do not take advantage of it.
Let us use the staycation to open our eyes again. Go to places that you would not normally visit. Eat at new restaurants.
Go to a theatre or opera or museum or art gallery. Spend a day at Disneyland or Universal studios. Do something different.
You will be surprised once at the infinite number of things that you can do that you have not done before or have not had the time for. A visit to the Getty Museum. Afternoon tea at the Huntington Hotel. A drive into the mountains. An afternoon at the horse race track.
A Tourist at Home
Take your staycation to act as a tourist. Open your eyes. See things differently from the way you do during your routine workweek. Sleep in. Let your body recharge. Relax. Let responsibilities go for a short time. You will begin to feel more alive, alert and aware.
Perhaps the staycation is the opportunity you needed to take care of all those things that needed to be done around the house whether small repair jobs or simply enjoying sitting in the yard with a cold drink and good book.
I wish you a stimulating staycation while reminding you it is important for our mental wellbeing to find things to do that are out of our norm.
Let’s challenge ourselves with things that are different. Recharge. Let yourself view things with new, alert, fresh eyes and an energetic enthusiasm.
A clinical hypnotherapist, handwriting analyst and certified master hypnotist, Nicholas Pollak may be contacted at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net
