11. Take a Vacation at Least Yearly.
A Conference Board poll taken in 2006 indicated that 40% of Americans had no plans to take any summer vacation. This was the worst showing in the poll’s 28 years. Are you among those who choose no vacation?
Taking a vacation of at least a few days, preferably a week or more, enables you to unhook completely. You can slide into a relaxed rhythm enabling you to thoroughly recharge.
Return to a vacation place that’s comfortably familiar, or go someplace new. Travel to somewhere exotic or simply stay home to complete tasks you’ve been meaning to get to or visit sites in your area you’ve wanted to explore.
The essential thing is to remove yourself entirely from your normal routine. Give yourself enough time to really experience the benefit of distance from your normal life. You’ll return relaxed and refreshed, better able to handle your daily challenges. You’ll gain perspective that will help you to deal with the problems you face in your daily life. You’ll make your good life better.
Jennifer dramatically transformed her life by implementing several of these self-care suggestions. The relaxation that came with taking brief breaks throughout the day brought down her blood pressure and actually helped her accomplish more at work. She looked and felt better than she had in years once she joined the weekly yoga class she’d been thinking about. Most of all, Jennifer and her husband enjoy the boost in marital satisfaction their weekly date nights provide and their Hawaii vacation was the trip of a lifetime.
Regular physical activity – running or biking – helps keep you in shape while producing endorphins, those neurotransmitters which provide a natural high. Engaging in team sports such as volleyball or softball adds the advantage of social interaction to the benefit of exercise as a stress management tool.
When good things happen to you during the day, sharing them with someone close to you enhances your satisfaction. When bad things occur, another’s concern and support make you feel better. When you spend time in meaningful communication with your partner you strengthen the relationship and benefit yourself.
As the New Year quickly approaches, we all prepare to make life changes in the new year in order to better ourselves. In the next several posts we will talk about ways you add some re-creation to your life on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. Positive life balance provides stress management as few other things can.