How to Stay Relaxed After Vacation

You know the feeling.. you are a few hours into being at your destination and the calmness just covers you like a warm blanket.

All you want to do is figure out how to stay relaxed after vacation.. you may have even whispered out loud, can we bottle this feeling up and take it home?

Solitude for the soul.

It’s no secret that while on vacation, you reach a level of relaxation that you don’t otherwise feel at home.

The way your shoulders instantly drop as you exit the hotel to take in the view.

That first sip feeling of a cocktail at sunset.

Or perhaps it’s the deep breathe exhaling as your toes reach the water while internally you’re saying, ahhhh.

The joke in my house is when I mutter the words, “vacation is almost over” on day two.. of seven.

It always flies by no matter how much you try to savor each and every moment.

And yes, the memories are what we go for. But.. it’s in the stillness that we refresh our minds and rejuvenate our souls.

When we do this, we allow capacity for the reality we face upon our return.

Why can’t the feelings of ease rush in just as quickly as the feelings of chaos towards vacations end?

Your shoulders start to creep back up your neck on the plane ride home. The ticker tape of to-do’s begin reminding you that vacations come and go.

But does it have to be that way?

I began to wonder, is there a way to bring back more than the quintessential souvenir so the vacation calm remains?

Thinking back, I dug deep into each vacation day to identify what I did and how it made me feel.

Carefully observing the environment and all the influences surrounding me.

During one of our latest adventures, instead of lying on a beach (which is always a good idea) I woke early. We hiked several trails reaching 17,000 steps a day and on average 7 miles.

Our routine attention grabbers, TV and social media were not a priority. Being unusually active not only felt like a huge accomplishment, but I was present.

I felt calm, tired even. My neck wasn’t tight nor did my back hurt. I was… at ease.

We woke early to get in a full day with the boys. Took in an earlier dinner, showered and were in bed well before we normally are.

The reward… waking the next day refreshed and ready.

No…everyday life/routines don’t always allow for this however, I began to think…why can’t it.

Your schedule is yours and only you decide what you put on it.

Our time is our most valuable currency and how we spend it is a direct reflection of our priorities.

When we think of the words invest, growth, health and wealth; societal norms cast a point of view that is directly related to what we do and not, who we are.

But what we do is just part of our identity. It is not what we do… but rather who we are that matters.

How we feel.

Reflecting a bit on COVID, one of the most beautiful things to come out of such tragedy is perspective.

It allowed people time to decide what was important and what they wanted to do to be happy.

That life wasn’t all about the 9-5 and keeping up with the Jones’ because no one could see them anyway.

Before this, we took Disney trips because if you’ve been, you know how “easy” it can be having everything right there for you.

Now that they’re a bit older, we wanted to venture out and give them a new experience.

Coming home from the vacation mentioned above, I decided to maintain a few of the things that made an impact on me. A few things that helped me to stay relaxed after vacation..