Vacation Relaxation

This Summer Get a Head-Start on Letting Go of Stress

meditation Often when I go on vacation, it takes me nearly the whole vacation to relax. Just about the time I’ve unwound, it’s time to go home. Is it like that for you?

This summer, get a jumpstart on relaxing by consciously building some simple relaxation practices into your schedule. You’ll get more out of your vacation—and be the healthier for it.

Who knows, you may just be inspired to continue them after your vacation is over! And that’s good, because relaxing is one of the best things you can do for your health.

Here are a few ideas to get you started. Of course you don’t need to do them all—just pick ones that appeal to you (and that are realistic for you), and try to incorporate them on most of your vacation days.

Simple Relaxation Practices for Your Vacation

Calming Breath

This breathing exercise will help you turn off your stress response and relax.

* Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

*Gently inhale all the way down into the lower third of your lungs. Your belly should rise when you inhale and fall when you exhale.

* Gently slow your breathing down and even the rhythm of your breathing out. (You can count the duration of each breath to help keep the rhythm even.)

* After your breathing has evened out, slow down the out-breath (in comparison to the in-breath). Breathe in for a certain number of counts—whatever is comfortable for you–then breathe out for up to twice as many counts. Do this for at least one minute, and up to five minutes.

* If you start to feel dizzy or faint, just go back to normal breathing for a while.

Breathing exercises can make you feel light-headed, so don’t do this while driving.

Meditation

As you most likely know, meditation is a wonderful method for managing stress and promoting wellness. If you don’t already have an established meditation practice, you might enjoy the following body awareness meditation.

In body awareness meditation, you sequentially focus your attention on the various parts of your body. This focuses awareness and turns off the over-busy brain.

Take a few slow, deep breaths. Start with your feet and work your way up your body—your right foot, your right lower leg, your right upper leg, then your left foot, left lower leg, and so on. (Or you can focus your attention on areas of your body less systematically, as you feel called.)

Simply be aware of the way each part of your body feels, and then move on to the next area. Allow yourself to feel the aliveness in each body part.

Stretching, Yoga & Other Exercise

Stretching, yoga, or other forms of exercise are not only relaxing, but if done mindfully can also be a form of meditation.

Journaling and Reflection

Writing about the events and thoughts of the day helps to slow down the rollercoaster. You could also draw or paint your reflections.

Mindfulness Breaks

Several times a day, take a five-minute “mindfulness” break. Hold the intention to stay completely present–to yourself, your thoughts, your body, and what is happening around you—for five minutes.

If your mind wanders, just notice it, and gently bring it back to being present. Like meditation, this is much harder than it sounds, but always valuable, even if you are only able to stay mindful for seconds at a time in the beginning.

Mindfulness breaks are great because they integrate pretty seamlessly into vacation plans.

Naps and Baths

Let’s not forget these trusty old standbys for R &R. Make them special with some aromatherapy—lavender essential oil is a classic for encouraging relaxation.

Nutrition

Cut back on caffeine—but slowly, as abrupt withdrawal will cause a headache. Eat foods and nutritional supplements that are shown to help with relaxation, including protein, dairy products, oats, chamomile tea, seafood, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

Making It Work: Plan for Relaxation

The key to creating a truly relaxing vacation is in the planning stages. Set the intention to have this be a healthy, balanced “relaxation therapy” vacation–and then fight the urge to over-schedule yourself. Balance the fun, exciting stuff with plenty of down-time. Build in the time necessary for your relaxation practices. Be sure you bring along any necessary “gear,” whether that be a yoga mat, journal, eye pillow, running shoes, or lavender essential oil. Make releasing stress a priority!

The Body’s Relaxation Response: a Prescription for Wellness

Relaxing is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It turns off the body’s response to stress—with remarkable health benefits, including slowing the heart and breath rate, normalizing blood pressure, improving immune function, reducing pain, and improving concentration and creativity.

So this vacation, take relaxation seriously. Make taking care of yourself a priority. Get a jumpstart on slowing down and reducing stress—and build the momentum to keep relaxing all year long.

Nancy Hausauer has a holistic healing and wellness practice in Tacoma, Washington. For more ideas to support your wellness through energy healing and other natural techniques, visit her website at http://www.the-energy-healing-site.com.