Yesterday I was sitting on the beach enjoying a nice summer afternoon marveling in the shear peace and beauty of that very moment, with my son playing next to me in the sand. I looked over to see a family of five vacationing, beach towels out, umbrellas up, and everyone with their eyeballs fixated on their cell phones. Now, I am not here to pass judgement, as I too can be guilty of checking my phone when really unnecessary, but I think we can all benefit from stepping back and evaluating the amount of time we spend on our devices.
As of recently, I have come up with my own rules when it comes to cell phone usage as a means to be more present in the everyday moments. Vacations are one of those times. I turn off the phone and computer for the entire time I am on vacation, no exceptions. This allows me to be truly present with those I am with, and to actually disconnect from my home life for a while. I find when I come back from my trips I am much more relaxed and ready to return back to the “grind”. Compared to times in the past in which I have not detached myself I found myself still feeling “connected” at all times which really didn’t allow me to feel like I was escaping. Think about it, the vacation is your one time to leave the bs of daily life and escape to some place different. How can you truly benefit from the vacation if you are always within reach via text, email, or phone call? How can you really rest and recharge when you are never truly leaving?
This summer I encourage you to disconnect from your devices over your vacation. The first day you may find yourself experiencing some withdrawals from it but after a day or two you will find it easier to fully encompass yourself in the present moment, engage with others around you more deeply, and truly appreciate your beautiful surroundings. All the day to day minutia will still be there when you return and the world will not halt from you detaching from it all, I promise.
You will find when you return you will be in a much better mindset since you will have truly gotten a chance to relax. We all could benefit from some relaxation every now and then. We have to be the ones to create an environment in which we can just be. When you can truly be present in the moment and reflect with gratitude for the many blessings life can provide, you can begin to live a more fulfilling, less stressful life. With less stress comes better health and vitality. Living a healthy lifestyle is not just about exercising and eating right, it is about finding ways to reduce stress in your life and capitalize on strategies to make you feel happier. This is the real key to better health, because your body will eventually breakdown if mentally, and emotionally you are too stressed. This is just one of many strategies you can implement to help reduce the stress in your life and to help promote better mental health. I encourage you to unplug this summer and get back to what is really important in life.
Happy Travels!
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