On vacation you not only have to plan, you also have to rest. However, many times it is difficult for us to stop. We want to see or do everything, without realizing that we are putting more pressure on the body. Two mental health experts give us five keys so that our next break is, indeed, a break.
-
Define what vacations are
This section is essential, especially if we are accompanied. It's not the same for all people, so we have to talk about it. “You don't need to make a contract or anything like that,” explains UOC professor Sylvie Pérez, but you do need to make it clear what it means for each person to be on vacation. And it is not about “giving up everything for the benefit of the group”, but rather establishing what things each person can do on their own.
-
Choose what you want to do
It is closely linked to the previous point, of course. To reach agreements you have to know what you want. Or rather, “what you don't want to give up,” Pérez continues. For some it may be climbing the Eiffel Tower, for others going to the Latin Quarter to buy books, for another having a beer by the sea… Obviously it is not about choosing everything, you have to select. And then, do it “so as not to feel like we haven't had the vacation we wanted.”
-
Plan until you don't plan
One of the things that prevents us from enjoying the holidays is that we want to have everything under control and “the more we have it like this, the more stress it generates,” highlights the teacher. However, she is not about leaving everything to improvisation: “Let's plan what is essential, especially if it generates anxiety,” which would be, for example, accommodations and how we are going to get around. On the other hand, if we like to enjoy, we can add more things: what restaurants are in the area, what leisure options there are, etc. But without wanting to have everything tied up. «You also have to plan a day of not having anything planned. Maybe if I plan that for two mornings I don't have anything planned, I will be able to stay calm and I won't have to think about what to do,” advises Pérez.
-
Don't forget to enjoy
Vacations are made to enjoy and it is necessary to experience it. “We have to enjoy the moment we are in without having the need, which is sometimes automatic and uncontrollable, to share what we are doing at that precise moment.” It's not that you don't post it on networks or send it to your friends on WhatsApp, but that you don't do it right then: “We'll have time later.” According to Pérez, it is important not to be worried about showing others that we are “taking a vacation.”
-
Give yourself time to go and come back
Both to go and to return we will need time to adapt. “It can be hours or days, depending on the rest time we have taken.” When we start them we should not pretend to be at full strength or relaxed from minute one. In the same way that when we return we will also need to start the routine gradually. If you can, “you don't have to make the changes to stop or start again in a hurry.” And, above all, let's not stay with the idea that after vacation there is nothing more: “There's next weekend, the May long weekend, the summer holidays…”, lists the psychologist Xavier Montero. Every day life is “sleeping, working and also enjoying, whether it's a drink on a terrace next to the sea or on the couch at home with a little music,” he concludes.
#Tips #avoid #stress #vacation
