Hooray! You’ve finally got the last day of work behind you. Your summer vacation is just around the corner, and you’re looking forward to relaxing weeks without work and without stress.
Not being able to let go
But now you’re lying on the sun lounger or on the beach, thinking about last week’s meeting. It’s stressing you out that the vacation apartment doesn’t look quite like the photos on the internet. And you can’t really relax because there’s so much to plan. And new thoughts about your work keep popping up, which you really don’t want to think about right now. Do you feel the same way?
Your path to full vacation relaxation
We’ll show you how to switch off well right from the start. Here are our simple tips & tricks for more serenity and calm on vacation:
- Visualization: Leave all work issues at home
Even if you are physically separated from work, thoughts about work may still catch up with you on vacation. A visualization exercise can help you here: Imagine an object that embodies all the tasks, all the worries, and all the thoughts that go hand in hand with work. This could be a black ball or a red box – whatever you find suitable. Before your vacation, mentally place this object in a place that has to do with work: under your desk or in your work backpack. By removing yourself from this place, you leave the stress behind, and it will be easier for you to deal with it again after your vacation.
- Our own standards: Not everything has to be perfect
The higher our standards are, the more difficult it is to meet them and be satisfied. We often have high expectations, especially on vacation: after all, these are the few weeks of the year that we can perhaps spend in peace with our family or friends and in which we finally manage to escape the stresses of everyday life. But too high expectations, coupled with inflexibility in the face of unforeseeable changes, can quickly take the joy out of your precious vacation days. As soon as something isn’t perfect, you’ll be disappointed and less able to enjoy your vacation. But we can’t plan everything, and sometimes unwelcome changes can even turn into a particularly enjoyable vacation experience. So question your own expectations: What do you expect? Do others expect the same? Would it really be so bad if it wasn’t? Then consciously look out for things that are going well, even though – or perhaps precisely because – things turned out differently than you had planned.
- Self-care: Take time for the things that are good for you
A certain degree of relaxation and switching off may come naturally on vacation – you are away from home, in a beautiful and perhaps unknown place with (hopefully) nice weather. But even on vacation, planning your trip or shopping can quickly lead to a “daily grind”. So make a conscious effort to take enough time for yourself and, above all, for the people, things, activities and places that are good for you. Consciously plan activities that allow you to switch off and make time for them! It’s your vacation, and you can and should relax. Specifically, we recommend creating a personal “feel-good mind map” with ideas for activities and taking it with you on your vacation – that way, you’ll quickly come up with ideas on the go.
- Consciously switch off: Get to know relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques are another way to consciously calm down. A vacation is the perfect opportunity to try out something new. Find a nice place – maybe you have a nice terrace or a quiet spot in the garden on your vacation – and do yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation or autogenic training. Maybe listen to an inspiring podcast or to an (audio) book, which can also be a method of bringing you complete relaxation. Create mindful islands of calm in your everyday vacation life.