As many of you know I took the month of August off.

This is the third year in a row that I have done this and if you want to dive a little deeper into the why behind it, you can read my previous posts on the topic (One way I prioritize my health).

You would think that each year would get easier, but this year was actually the most difficult.

Let me tell you why.

I didn't have a plan.

For someone who is a little type A, very organized, likes to stick to a schedule, likes to accomplish things, and cross things off my list, no plan = uncomfortable.

I wasn't going away on a trip.

That meant I had to learn how to relax and disconnect without leaving town. Lack of distance from work = uncomfortable.

I was alone.

I didn't have a significant other, friends, or family that I was going to be traveling with. Feeling alone = uncomfortable.

I had too many options available to me.

This is a hurdle that plagues us all in many areas of life. In fact, studies have shown that when people have too many choices of a particular product eg. mustard at the grocery store, they end up buying none of them versus if they only had two or three choices. Large number of choices = uncomfortable.

So how did I overcome some of my staycation challenges?

• I narrowed down my options by making a list of things I might want to do. This allowed me to have a loose plan.
• I tried to say yes to anyone who invited me to do something with them. In the past I would assume people are just inviting me to be polite, not because they actually want to spend time with me. I realize now how messed up this sounds, but I think we all have these messed up stories running around in our heads, and it's better to identify them than to ignore them. Now I had the opportunity to follow through on an invitation and see how a different action might reduce the feeling of "being alone" and improve my overall happiness.
• I gave myself permission to be unproductive. This one was really hard and made me feel anxious, but I believe overcoming fear is how we grow.
• I picked a couple of books that I wanted to read, just like I would if I was going away on vacation. This helped mimic "going away" even though I would be reading on my back deck instead of a hotel pool or Air BnB.
• I rarely went on my computer.
• I avoided stopping in at the office.
• I tried to take a picture of the things I was doing just like I would on a travelling vacation.

Now that my staycation is over I have to say it was a success, but not in the way I thought it would be.

I realized I really enjoy travelling and it's not something that I should deprive myself from. I realized when you say yes to invitations and follow-through it can improve your happiness more than if you just stayed in your comfort zone. I realized that your self-worth should not be derived solely from what you do, but who you are.

Enjoy some of the pics of my staycation below!

Now I would love to hear from you! Have you taken a staycation? What did you do or what did you learn? Leave a comment below and I'll be back next week with another edition of Doctor as Teacher Tuesday!"

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