Overalls (Madewell) | Bikini (RoselyPink) | Headband (Red Dress Boutique)
Happy Monday! Today, I’m writing to you from a staycation in the Hamptons and I couldn’t be more relaxed. Working from home since March and not having taken one day off (not including holidays and weekends) since November, it definitely feels a little weird and almost a little stressful but I’m doing my best to unplug and recharge.
As someone who usually uses their vacation days to travel, this definitely feels a little uncomfortable. In my mind, why take off when you don’t really “have” to? There is so much work to do and it will only add stress on my team. BUT, I know that this the wrong mindset to have. In reality, we all need a “vacation” now more than ever.
In many cases, COVID-19 has brought on longer hours, more stress, and added anxiety, which has been hard to escape. And this long weekend was exactly what I needed to feel a little human again.
Before I share my tips on taking a staycation during a pandemic, I think it is VERY necessary to acknowledge that I am very lucky to have my parents Hamptons home as a little oasis. I know that not everyone has such a luxury or even close but my tips aren’t reliant on your backdrop so I hope you can still find value in them.
How To Take A Restful Staycation In A Pandemic
1| Turn off your notifications. If any of my co-workers are reading this, they’re probably LOLing because I always take a bit before I can fully disconnect. Friday morning, I woke up, checked my email, checked-in on Microsoft Teams, etc. but by noon I was completely unplugged. I think it is important to realize that there will ALWAYS be something to work on but recognize what can wait. It’s hard but I promise that unless you are a healthcare worker, your work can wait until you get back in the office or your team will handle it.
2|Create a staycation to-do list. I’m motivated by achievement, so creating a to-do list of things that I wanted to achieve (no matter how big or small) during my time off keeps me feeling productive and away from my work email. I actually do this for real vacations as well and it helps ease the stress of taking off for me. This time around, my to-do list consisted of things like ‘get brunch with mom,’ ‘workout every morning,’ ‘finish my book club book,’ etc.
3|Get outside. It’s Summer. Enjoy it. Unfortunately, my long weekend only consisted of a few hours of sun but I did my best to stay outdoors and away from as many screens as possible. We have spent 4 months in quarantine, hoping for the days that we can step outside of our houses, you better believe that I was going to spend as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors. While it wasn’t suntanning weather, I did spend time reading outside, taking walks, enjoying cocktails on the porch, and of course many dinners al fresco.
4|Avoid the news & the feeds. I’m a total news junkie and working in social media, I usually check my feeds at least twice per hour 😱 . For me, it is hard to separate my personal enjoyment of social media and my job. If I see something, I have to say something. I know this isn’t the case for everyone but I do think avoiding the news and feeds keeps you present and focused on your own mental state, which is why you took off in the first place.
5|Make every day feel like vacation. At the end of the day, vacation is a state of mind, not a destination. This weekend, I got dressed up every night for dinner (even if we weren’t going anywhere) just like I would on a real vacation. I made pre-dinner cocktails to enjoy on the porch and made sure each day had an itinerary (even if it was just to catch up on The Real Housewives). This mindset makes all the difference and gets you out of your everyday WFH routine that we’ve become so used to.
I think it safe to say that this Summer has been different but this weekend made me realize that when you take a step back and take time for yourself, you can embrace this unique time in our lives. We can continue to live our lives feeling like this year “doesn’t count” or we can find the silver lining. For me, it is finding a whole new appreciation for the art of staycations.
