As we hit mile 10 of the bumpy dirt road, wondering where we would find ourselves and if we would find a place to pitch our tent before the rain came, I had a lot on my mind: where we might sleep tonight, if we would get the tent up before the rain started, and how much further we had to go on this bumpy dirt road.

 

And yet, despite these worries (or maybe because of them) I was completely engrossed in the present moment. I was not worrying about emails I had to write, work that needed to get done, grocery lists, or my bank account. All that was before me was the road: wherever that might lead.

 

And this is the benefit of vacations: they bring us so strongly into the present that all other concerns melt away. 

 

One of my teachers says that 98% of stress is the result of not being present.  When we are not present we are either holding on to the past or worrying about the future. If we can let go of the past and put aside worry about the future, and truly be in the present moment, we can drastically reduce our stress. And this is one of the reasons vacations are good for us: they keep us in the present.

 

But vacations also offer us time to recover from the stress of our everyday lives. 

 

Research shows that it’s not about how much stress you have in your life, but how often you take time to recover from that stress. And those recovery times can be small: a 15 minute break during your day to listen to music, for example. But making time for those larger recovery periods (i.e. vacation) is also important.

 

And with studies showing that more and more Americans are not using all of their vacation time, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are making time in your life to recover.

 

So maybe take a mini-trip this Labor Day and fit in one more vacation before summer comes to a close. Make time to be present and recover. (And have a little fun, too!)

 

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DECREASING STRESS IN YOUR LIFE?

Check out my 21-Day Mind-Body Makeover program and register today!  (Hurry, registration ends Friday!)

 

How will you make time to recover this weekend?

xo Kate