June is almost slipping away from us (how quickly the months go by!) and it’s time to really think about what you’re going to do to enjoy your vacation this summer. But truly enjoy it. Maybe you’ve had it planned for months, maybe you simply do the same thing every year, or maybe you let yourself be carried along by the plans of your partner, family, friends… But this vacation, we want to suggest something. For once, discover what you need first and tailor it to yourself.
The question may sound a little silly, but have you thought about what you need before planning your vacation? One of our main problems is that, many times, we don’t even listen to ourselves. That’s why today we want to give you three small tips that will help you enjoy your vacation and turn it into a useful, energizing period for you, one that helps you find balance and reconnect with yourself.
And that’s one of the main keys: vacation isn’t for reconnecting with your Aunt Paquita from the village (she’s lovely, but exhausting); it’s for reconnecting with yourself and with what you truly need. So before deciding what you’ll do, where you’ll go, or what activities you’ll devote your time to, do these three things and you’ll see how everything makes much more sense.
1. Listen to yourself
How long has it been since you listened to yourself? You live surrounded by noise, stimuli, and distractions that force you to constantly pay attention to what’s happening outside you. Our first piece of advice when deciding how you’re going to enjoy your vacation is to step away from all that noise for a while and sit in silence: what is your mind crying out for? What is your body asking for? Stop doing the same thing every year and, for the first time, listen to yourself before making a plan.
2. Be a little selfish
No, don’t worry—it’s not wrong to think about yourself a little. Although it may sound jarring, an excess of selfishness is just as harmful as its complete absence. If you’re always focused on what other people need, what they like, what they want… and you forget about yourself, there will come a time when you’re exhausted, discouraged, and terribly frustrated. Don’t forget that you also have needs and desires that you must take into account in order to feel happy and fulfilled. Even if you have to agree on your vacation with another person or other people, don’t give in to doing something you truly don’t want to do, or your vacation will end up becoming another form of “work.” You’ve listened to yourself; you know what you want. Now, have the courage to activate your selfish mode.
3. Disconnect from everything; reconnect with yourself
It’s going to be difficult, but as much as possible, you have to try to disconnect from everything: forget your phone, the TV, social media, commitments, what you have to do when you get back… Forget it all and move away from the things that don’t contribute anything to you and that, in fact, drain your energy and are a source of negativity. Or can you remember many times when going on Facebook or watching the news improved your mood? Probably not. To reconnect with yourself and rescue yourself from that mountain of tasks and obligations under which you’ve buried yourself, you need to return to the silence we mentioned in number 1. Nothing is going to collapse, the world isn’t going to end, everything will keep working without you until you return, and that is liberating. Commit to it and truly disconnect.
4. Do what you love
How long have you wanted to do “that” but never found the time? How many times in your day-to-day life do you find yourself doing things you like because you genuinely want to and genuinely enjoy them? Honestly… So if you truly intend to enjoy your vacation, you need to leave plenty of room for doing what you love: look for it wherever you are, whether you go somewhere else or stay in your city, try to share it with people who like the same thing, develop it, improve it, and give yourself the opportunity to feel fulfilled by doing what you genuinely love—and you’ll see that feeling is absolutely wonderful.
And here’s our suggestion: do you like sewing, thinking, creating, designing? Can’t you do it in your day-to-day life because you can’t find the time or the way? Then commit to enjoying your vacation and alternate the beach and relaxation with a space where you can grow and develop by doing what you love.
Learn more here about our courses for July and August or subscribe to Lulu Ferris if sewing is that “something” that makes you feel good and fulfilled, but you don’t make room for it in your life.
And don’t forget to enjoy your vacation!