There are so many reasons why we decide to take a vacation these days. It could be for adventure, it could be to party. It could be to catch up with friends, but most frequently it is to grab a bit of respite and to give our brain a break and recuperate.
With more of us than ever before suffering from mental health problems, many of which progresses into the likes of addiction, particularly at present in the USA, it is important to look after ourselves. For some that may be a rehabilitation clinic, for others it could be a vacation where you can really escape and cleanse your mental health.
But how exactly do you do that? Well, here are three tips to help perfect the mental health cleansing getaway:
Choose an escape that really is one
You are not really going to get that if you book yourself into a family resort where there is a million children running around. Equally, a trip to Las Vegas is not going to be for you either.
You need to firstly select the location carefully. It needs to be a place where you can truly relax, away from distraction. That could well be a health spa, where you will even be able to get treatments that will improve your mental health. Alternatively, it could be entering the wilderness where you go out hiking daily and have few people around you. Consider what you want and what would best help you relax.
Be organised and committed to ‘you time’
What is important is that you get the relaxation time you need. Consider what is the best way to do that. It could well be through doing activities, exploring your surroundings and so on. By planning things in, you get a bit of structure to your day and will feel fulfilled by your trip.
If sitting around a swimming pool all day will do that for you, then great. But if you are not that sort of person then it will leave you feeling bored and perhaps even add to your mental health problems, particularly if it then just means going to the bar and so forth.
Have a clear schedule and structure to your day, and while that may not feel like a relaxing thing to do, it will help you manage your trip and have decisions already made for you.
Take some home comforts with you
It may be that you want to escape life at home, but there will still be home comforts that will keep you connected and perk you up if it does become difficult, especially if you are going on your own and not used to time alone.
Whether it be a blanket, a scented candle, a photograph, take the things that matter with you and it will improve your mood and help you to start feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world again once you get home.
Ultimately, it is all about what you want and what works best for you. A mental health cleansing vacation is not there to take you out of your comfort zone, but rather help you completely switch off, which you are not going to be able to do in an uncomfortable environment.
Follow the three tips above and you will manage to do that and come home feeling like a new person.
