How to Feel Fancy/ On a Vacation (While Still at Home)

Not all of us have the time or money or desire to travel to a far off destination to get to relax and recharge. Here are a few tips for getting some of the same benefits of a vacation without actually having to go anywhere, cuz lets face it sometimes vacations can be more stressful and you may find yourself looking forward to coming home.

1. Tell your friends and family that you are taking a few days for yourself. You could say anything along the lines of, "I'm needing a few days to myself", "I'm feeling very internal right now.", "I want some me time please". Any iteration of those will do. Now you have a few days of not worrying about responding to texts or calls. You can also set your voicemail to say that you are away for a few days!

2. Turn your phone on airplane mode. I'm telling you, we are all pretty much addicted to our phones these days and even turning it off for a few hours and forcing yourself to find other things to do can be a mind-altering experience. ("Wow, so THIS is what we used to do before cell phones..")

3. Take a bath, with candles, and essential oils, and incense and some calming music and let your mind wander.

4. Find a hypnosis track on youtube and try it out. This is something I used to be really skeptical about but I recently got into it as I was trying out different guided meditations on youtube just to try some other things and I have found them to be very relaxing.

5. Schedule a massage or Reiki session for yourself. A massage can be so relaxing and Reiki is a form of Japanese energy healing that is deeply relaxing, you basically fall asleep and there is no touching involved.

6. Put new sheets on the bed, cancel your evening plans and get into your P.J.s early with some Netflix and maybe a little dark chocolate and strawberries and herbal tea. You deserve it!

7. Plan a nature walk...not a hike but a walk for yourself (again, phone off) where your sole purpose is to be among the trees and plants and observe them and be present with them. Ekhart Tolle talks a lot about presence and how that is the key to living a content life. Mother Nature IS PURE PRESENCE. We allow ourselves to be distracted so much by daily life which is very draining. Returning to the source is seriously recharging. The Japanese have started this new practice they call "Forest Bathing" it is literally where the doctor prescribes them to go walk in a forest. Seriously.

8. Make yourself your favorite dish. When I want to treat myself I like to make pancakes. I usually make them into protein pancakes these days and I top them with jam and peanut butter and fresh fruit but it's still a teat for me. Have someone else cook for you. Your partner? A good friend who wants to treat you? Or, order in and set the table with candles, maybe a little wine or sparking water to spice things up?

9. If you have kids, hire a babysitter and then do whatever you want at home. Maybe hire someone to do the laundry too. It doesn't have to be a regular thing, but why not once in a while treat yourself?

10. Get to sleep early. Your body probably needs it.

#howto #happiness #selfcare #selflove