Make the Most of Vacation!

I just returned from a big adventure vacation and I have some words to remind us to truly enjoy our summer. We live around the idea of travel and adventure. It inspires us but remember that it is far more than the week or few days away, it is the week before and the week after that are part of our vacation. We forget that. Here is how  to maximize the oxytocin from going away. 

To me, a week vacation is like a 3 week vacation.  I really consider the prep and return time. The prep, the packing, the arranging for the journey takes up time. Knowing this is part of the journey makes it more smooth and less stressful. It is fun to me to get ready. Yes it is alot of boring prep tasks to me, but there is an excitement and smile inside as I prep. So make the prep stage a time that you use enthusiasm. When things get anxious, breath and remember the joy you are heading toward and it actually brings joy in. Your disconnecting from regular life and preparing for adventure life.  Be enthused. This anticipation state feels good so use it. 

The actual journey we know is not all fluffy. There are still regular life issues of wait times, annoyances and plans turning arye. Being on vaca, we are looser in our plan so we flow more. Notice this and see how you could bring that into regular life. After all, life can be a vacation and I shoot for that. Be sure you find your own oxytocin buzz. Don't do stuff for everyone else and not yourself. Take your moments to do what you want to. I went away with Erika and I let her run the schedule. I did have things I wanted to experience so I spoke up and we added it in. We also took moments for ourselves to really revel in the fun, rest, reflect, sleep and just find ourselves. 

To get the best fueling out of it, really revel in the whole deal. I consider it an oxytocin experience where I can bring it in 24/7. Thats the goal. I don't always find myself in relax, especially this last trip into the deep woods up some scary roads. I did however, notice my feelings and allow them for that minute and then disconnect. On vacation, I feel like I can watch my mind/emotion cycles as we are out of regular life. In being able to do so, we can reconstruct ourselves differently. I learned a bunch about fear and adrenaline this trip. I felt it in my body. I was able to notice and derail and see how in life, I may be more anxious than I desire. The joy after the fear was equally intense. Let us remember that all expansion or newness has a level of unknown. 

If you take the time to enjoy yourself, observe yourself, pamper yourself and learn of yourself, vacation resets and upgrades your mind body soul state into  alignment.  The joy resets our whole being. I had so many joy moments of beauty that I just inhaled  and savored. I don't do that daily enough but realize if I did, life could be a vacation. Being out of our usual pattern, we can see our pattern and how we try to control, direct and even push our way. On vaca, it just doesn't matter as much so you see how insane your patterns are. Savor, observe and play with how your can bring more vaca into life. Use all for upliftment. 

Also, share your feelings. Erika and I were just starting our trip and getting ice for the coolers. I felt like she was sassing at me and said something. I could of been quiet and held that in the car ride and it would of been in the air. When I got in the car, we talked about it and she was getting her cycle and felt a shorter fuse. I honored that and know how the hormones effect us. She needed compassion and understanding as she gave me an apology. If you clear the air when things happen, they go away. It is the silent, passive aggressive energy in the room that hurts relationship. It was a misunderstanding and that happens. Diffuse it immediately to save yourself drama and negative energy. We had no issues the whole time after that moment. It pays to connect honestly. 

The week after is a transition as well. After such an adventure with so much to digest, it needed time to settle into me. We came back and jumped in,   which is fine.  I did laundry, put things away and regrouped. A  few days after, I took time for myself to vegetate. I felt like a Princess and sleep and listened to podcasts as I looked at the mountains and rolled in and out of sleep.  We need this down time to ourselves as well after vacation. This helps us play in the imagination of the fun and the learning. We get to sink that in, integrate all the newness. My mind kept saying it is a beautiful day, get out. My body said no, lets just rest. I listened to myself and give yourself that time after adventure to nestle into  and nourish. This is key to get the most out of it as well as let your body synchronize this into life. Your changed so let it infiltrate. 

I wish you the best visits and play this summer. It is such a key time of connection. Make the most of it. That includes  saying no to some things and doing things that feel good to you. Despite others needs, it is your downtime so take some. Others are supportive and the martyr role is outdated. We are the Empress or Emperor of our world and we get taken care of first. We chose to take care of ourselves to fuel. So use this key to health. Then we can really enjoy and support others needs. We must fill too and that is the purpose of vacation, to nourish us. To fuel us. I can often get overwhelmed with travel but I am learning to enjoy the challenges as well as the fun. This is how we embody magic in our lives. Seeing things differently. Learning to truly nourish and fill ourselves.

Enjoy the prep with the smile of fun anticipation. Savor and revel in the fun and yourself on vacation. Give yourself time the following week to rest and allow all the goodness to sink in and be part of you. Great love to your adventures! 

Lyn