
How About a Staycation?
Do you feel a need to just get away from it all? Many people lately are experiencing an increase in their stress level, with feelings of anxiety, depression, and anger. Wouldn't it be nice to escape, if only one could?
A Staycation
Depending on your circumstances, it may be impossible to take a vacation right now. But what about a staycation: a vacation at home? If possible, you could take several days, or at least a weekend, for your staycation. Perhaps multiple weekends. If even that amount of time is not feasible, you could designate a time period once a day or several times a week, for your staycation.
The Ideal Staycation
What would your staycation consist of? Think of the place where you would most like to vacation, and what you would like to do there. Choose passive activities (sightseeing rather than windsurfing) because you can't windsurf in your living room. But you can sightsee with books and on the internet. If fact, I have a friend who has declared that preparing for (and researching) a trip sometimes turns out to be more pleasurable than actually going on the trip. (I have had this experience, too.)
The key is to immerse yourself in a situation in which you are totally absorbed. Worries and uncomfortable emotions are suppressed by pleasurable feelings. If your staycation lasts for several days, and if you are so inclined, you may incorporate activities such as cooking (dishes that replicate the local cuisine) or playing music of the region.
An Example
I've traveled a lot but where, now, would I most like to visit? I've read books by world traveler James Michener who proclaims, as does a relative of mine who has visited there, that Bora Bora, in the South Pacific, is the most beautiful place in the world. I would like to go there, but as that isn't currently feasible for me, I am instead taking a staycation in Bora Bora.
I'm immersing myself in books about Bora Bora, investigating on the internet the various hotels I could stay in, restaurants that I could eat in, and sites that I would enjoy seeing; and in lieu of snorkeling, I put up YouTube videos of tropical fish swimming around. Although I can't duplicate the balmy tropical atmosphere, I have sprayed the scent of Bora Bora waters (a tropical scent) around my space. I'm enjoying this staycation very much.
Your Inner Guide
You may already lose yourself in reading, and if you structure that as a staycation, you will enjoy it even more. Your Inner Guide can show you how to do that. If you don't yet have an Inner Guide, you can acquire one, for free, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ4G9VIxS94