Vacations: A Great Stress Reliever

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve been busy with work and writing this week. I’ve got one more scene to add to my story then I’ll have to do some more editing to take out some words…then it will be done, and I’ll be moving on to the next project.

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But enough about that, today is supposed to be warm and sunny. My tulips are blooming. Finally! We are about two weeks behind everyone else. But that’s okay, they are beautiful. I want to spend as much time outside as I can today and soak up some of that sun.

But before I do that, I’m writing today’s post. Today, I’d like to talk about the importance of vacations. I’m sure it’s because it’s so nice outside that I’m thinking about our vacation this year.

We’re planning a trip this year. We haven’t taken the boys out of state yet, and they’re itching to go. So, we must decide where we want to go. We’re trying to accommodate everyone. My oldest wants to go to the beach and maybe see the ocean. My youngest isn’t sure. I know hubby would like to go fishing, and me, I want to see the giant redwoods at least one time in my life.

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A friend suggested Crater Lake or Diamond Lake in Oregon. I’ve done some preliminary research and it is a possibility. However, we may just bite the bullet and go all the way to California, too.

Vacations are important for families. It’s a great way to create lasting memories and bonds. It opens the world to your kids. It opens their lens wider when they view the world. Vacations are a great way to reconnect and solidify those bonds.

It’s also a great way to relieve stress, and this year has been especially stressful with the pandemic, working from home, and virtual learning. We just need to go someplace and have some fun.  So, if you can afford it, take some time off and recharge those batteries. You’ve earned it and You deserve it.

A vacation also improves your mental health. Getting away and getting out of that rut of constantly doing the same thing is a great way to boost your moral. A vacation gives you something to look forward to. So, when you’re having a bad day, you can look ahead and know that this moment is temporary. When your vacation is over, you have something to remind you that life isn’t always drudgery. There are fun moments to look forward to and reflect on.

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So, there you have it. Why vacations are important for your health. Are you going on any vacations this year? Do you have any recommendations for me on where we should go? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Tropical Vacations on my Mind

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after finishing a couple of scenes in my story. It’s coming together and I’m excited to see the final product. I hope you are, too.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. What with the Super Blood Wolf Moon and the bitter cold weather, I’ve been staying inside, working on my story and dreaming of warmer weather.

Photo on VisualHunt.com

I can’t wait for summer and my days and nights hanging out by the beach and reading! I have so many books I on my TBR pile, I can’t think straight, but enough about that.

Photo on VisualHunt.com

Today as I hibernate against the bitter cold outside. It’s nineteen degrees, by the way, too cold for me that’s for sure. I daydream about a nice warm vacation that I’d like to go on. My kids want to go to the Bahamas. Right now, that sounds pretty good, I want to go anywhere warm.

 

Photo credit: pontla on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

I’ve googled a few places and found that it’s going to be expensive, so I’m going to start saving right now and maybe by this time next year, I’ll be sitting on the beach drinking a strawberry margarita.

A tropical vacation would be good for my soul. Can you imagine sleeping with the window open and listening to the waves lap the shore? I can. Did you know that walking barefoot on a beach or anywhere is good for you? It’s called Earthing or Grounding.

I could certainly do some earthing in the Bahamas. Just having direct contact with the earth helps stabilize daily cortisol rhythm and creates an internal bio-electrical environment. In other words, it’s good for your soul.

Photo credit: Kew on Flickr on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA

There are also health benefits from being by the water. Did you know the salty air around the ocean helps support serotonin and melatonin production? Say good bye to the blues when you’re by the water.

Just researching these facts makes me think about returning to nature and simplifying my life so that I can do all the things I love to do. Maybe at retirement, I’ll live by the beach and read all the time, but for right now, I’ll just concentrate on a vacation.

How about you? When’s the last time you went on a vacation that was good for your soul? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy 4th of July!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy time with family and friends. Stay safe!

Summer Fun: A Slice of Life Post

 

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with another Slice of Life Post. We have just returned from our vacation on Torch Lake. So as I’m writing this, I’m also doing a boat load of laundry. 🙂

Sunset on Torch Lake with the fam!

 

We stayed at the cottage most of the time because the days were hot and it’s so nice to walk out our back door and jump in the water. I love Michigan summers. The humid days and the hot steamy nights. I love lying awake and listening to the waves lap the shore. And the sunsets! Oh, the sunsets are the most amazing thing. The yolk of the sun winking at us as it slides past the horizon, turning the sky gold and fuchsia while sinking further below the skyline.

Sunset on Torch Lake (It was windy!)

Then there’s looking at the moon and sometimes you can see Mars if the sky is clear enough. Our earth is such an exceptional place and so many of us don’t appreciate it. We’re locked in our little lives, dealing with our day to day hassles and irritations that we forget to look at the sunset, or listen to the rain, or watch lightning streak across the sky.

We all need to stop and take a breath and look and LISTEN. Listen to the birds chirping in the trees, listen to the water breaking on the shore, listen to the night as we settle down for sleep. It brings such a sense of peace and we realize our problems don’t need to consume us. We can let go of them for a little while and just appreciate being here.

I love the wonder of nature and all its beauty don’t you? I hope I’m fostering a love of nature in my boys. I’m always pulling them outside to look at the moon and Mars. They see me taking pictures of the sunset. They look, but I don’t think they truly see. Well. Maybe they do. They just don’t see at the same time I do. 🙂

This is my youngest’s contribution to my sunset photos. 🙂 He’s a photobomber!

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. If you’d like to read other Slice of Life Posts, click here..

 

My thoughts on Vacation, Stress, and Peer Pressure

 

 

 

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. My post is a little late this week because I had a doctor’s appointment and then hubby and I went out to lunch. It was nice to have a date with the hubster and it ended up being a relaxing day.

It’s also the last week of school for my kids. They’re so excited and I must say so am I. I don’t know if it’s because we had such an obnoxiously long winter or what, but I’m feeling a little wrung out.

We have great plans for the summer. We’re going to vacation up north on Torch Lake for a couple of weeks. Everyone in the family enjoys these trips, even our cat Lily. 🙂

 

Taking a vacation is a great stress reliever for parents and kids. Sometimes we forget the stresses that kids deal with on a daily basis, the stress of peer pressure, school pressures, and trying to figure out where they fit into the world.

By removing your child from that environment, you give them an opportunity to spend time with the family and strengthen those bonds. I know most teens will protest having to take time away from their friends, but I think it’s good for them. I’m going to go out on a limb and say spending time alone is good for teens too.

Not too much time alone, but a child needs to have a good relationship with herself as well. Therefore, when the ugliness of peer pressure rears its head, hopefully she’ll choose what’s best for her, and not go along with the crowd because she’s afraid of being alone. She’ll have had some practice and it won’t be as scary.

It’s important for kids and teens to learn how to entertain themselves. That way they’re less dependent on others for entertainment and approval. It’s okay to be a little bit of a loner if your friends are engaging in less than desirable behavior. I’m hoping to teach my kids this. In my opinion, it might even alleviate some of the stress of dealing with peer pressure.

Well…I certainly went off on a tangent there, but that’s okay…after all this is my page to ramble. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and if you’d like to share your thoughts on vacations, kids, or stress feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to read them!