Even if you’ve already taken your “summer vacation,” you may be itching for another getaway right about now. Maybe you’re drawn to the sand and the surf, the lights of Broadway, a place where the residents don’t speak with a Midwestern twang … or maybe just your own backyard.
It turns out that no matter where you’re going, it’s often the anticipation of time away from the work world that provides the real tonic for your weary soul. When it comes to well-being and attitude, the positive effects of a vacation are strongest when you are “looking forward to,” not “fondly recalling,” a vacation.
In fact, a single multi-week vacation is no more refreshing or revitalizing than a long weekend at a nearby getaway spot. That’s because simply anticipating a break in routine will lift your mood and create feelings of optimism and anticipated joy. Planning multiple brief getaways over the course of a year can actually be more therapeutic than scheduling a single, all stops-pulled, over-the-top annual vacation.
Having several reasons each year to get “psyched” for time away from routine provides a more consistent level of anticipation which can keep those “pre-vacation” good vibes humming year round.
These days, pretty much everyone is eager to find something to feel good about. Why not sit down and start planning a mini escape from your daily routine? Whether your taste runs to a getaway at the beach, the nature trails down state, or the antique shops and farmers market a few towns over, you’ll benefit equally from the unbeatable good feeling that vacation anticipation creates!
I’m Suzanne Degges-White, and that’s my perspective.
