& 1 Vacation that Helped Me Realize It
A few weeks ago, my husband and I went on vacation to Lewes, Delaware. It’s a regular vacation spot for a few of my friends – it’s a reasonable drive, with trails for walking or biking, and close to beaches without the crowds and craziness of some beach towns. Trusting their recommendations, I booked an AirBNB, packed up our bikes and beach gear, and did little else to prepare.
It was one of the best trips I’ve ever had! After the first day, I realized that it was the simplicity of the trip that made it so enjoyable. It made me think about my past approach to vacation planning and how much stress that actually caused.
Stress is the last thing anyone wants to associate with their vacation. Still, vacation advertisements of indulgent activities, extravagant hotels, and exotic destinations, had planted little seeds in my mind of what a vacation should look like. Letting go of those ideas this time around gave me a completely different experience. It also helped me see some other ways that I create my own stress:
- Comparing myself to others – Social media can make me feel really inadequate if I let it! Whether it’s people sharing a promotion to a high-level position, posting pictures looking fabulous for a night out, or smiling on white sandy beaches with the blue water glowing behind them, those pics can make me feel like I’m living my life wrong. Then I remind myself that’s just my own insecurity talking and that I am on my own path, one that I truly love when I stop the comparisons.
- Wasting energy where it doesn’t matter – Oh, the number of things I would do differently if I could go back in time! While I don’t consider myself a perfectionist, those tendencies pop up from time to time. Proofreading an email 4 times was a complete waste when I trusted the person on the receiving end to ask if something didn’t make sense. Planning the perfect vacation itinerary is almost pointless since my husband is the most easy-going person on earth. It serves me well to remember that I only have so much energy each day and where I spend it is up to me.
- Losing sight of what matters to me – The more people I try to please and the more I add to my plate, the more conflicting the demands on my time and energy. Anchoring in my personal values helps me to cut through a lot of clutter. I’m less likely to micromanage when I remember my belief in empowering others. And I care less about where we go and what we do when I remember that time away is time for me to connect with people I love.
Our 2-hour road trip to Lewes was a fun little adventure, and not the exhausting ordeal I could have made it. We lounged, we biked, we sat on the beach, and we ate delicious food. Most importantly, we enjoyed each other’s company and recharged our batteries. Just what a vacation should be.
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