By Jennifer Boileau
Your morning coffee tasted better.
Getting up wasn’t a chore, you actually did it to appreciate the sunrise.
You savored every moment spent on your silent walks, or in strenuous climbing up those mountains!
Then the panic sort of loomed over you. The realization hit that it was almost over. Suddenly, you’re a little kid again, stomping your feet saying no way, I’m not leaving! Real life is going to snuff out my vibe! Now that I feel this way, how can I let it slip through my fingers? Lucky for us, there ARE ways to take it with you.
Here are a few things I like to do to let that vacation vibe last all year long….
- Make a list of your favorite parts of your special trip.
Remembering what you loved the most is what will help create the “anchors” to your special experiences. Grab your journal or a notepad and start writing without thinking too much. It can be a list, or write your anchor words in little fluffy clouds like in those elementary school story webs. Whatever you do, don’t overthink it. Just write. Then break it down to it’s essence: nature, mindfulness, savoring food/drinks, taking walks, listening to music, outdoors. So, let’s say your list was something like this: beach walks, sunrise, trail riding, waterfalls, coffee, music, sunsets.
- Find ways to connect vacation-you to everyday-you.
Guess what? You’re the same person in both places, just less stressed. So how can you find ways to connect to those favorite experiences? Look at each “anchor” you wrote down above and then tie it to something you can do in your everyday life, to evoke the same feeling. For example, the coffee. Why did you choose it as your anchor?
I bet you took a short walk, bike ride, or sat at a special table where you chose your speciality coffee. You sat down, not a phone in sight, as you took your first sip, & savored it like it was the first time you’ve ever tasted coffee that tasted like THIS! You probably drank the entire cup while it was warm. Maybe you had a book in hand, maybe you had a view of Mt. Hekla in the distance. But I bet the experience is burned into your brain and you’re smelling that coffee right now, like I am, envisioning my favorite little hotel cappuccinos in Reykjavik, or the view of Mt.Hekla while having coffee, fresh bread and marmalade in Hella, Iceland! If you’re thinking ok, how can I create THAT at home when I have kids and emails to read and no barista? It just takes a little planning.
Make time for your anchors in “everyday” life
Back to the coffee shop vibe-at home…I get it. You’ve replaced the sounds of lapping waves and the whir of the cappuccino machine with the sounds of your kids fighting over who took the hair bands (and that they were told NOT to enter the other siblings room and clearly there has been a breach). How can you POSSIBLY get that “I drank my whole coffee warm” vibe when you are needed to referee the morning throw down? Well, …….it’s going to take some effort on your part, and yes, I do think it will be worth it, while bringing back the good vibes from vacation. Here we go….
You’re going to get up early. Earlier than usual so you can carve out that time just for you. You’ll be the barista, but maybe you can set it all up the night before, so there is less effort on your part. You are going to find a nice place to sit-not the usual in front of the local news tv show {I’ll give you a spoiler alert…lots of bad stuff happened, & do you really want that in your mind and heart while sipping on your freshly made coffee? Nope}. “Vacation-You” wouldn’t have had time for that. If you want to see the weather? Look out the window. So you’re up early, maybe taking notice of the sunrise, sipping your warm coffee from a comfortable seat, the house is quiet, and you’ve had the time to savor your morning. No phone in hand. No news blasting you. What does this picture look like? Kinda like vacation-you, right? We can’t be on vacation forever, so bringing back that small piece of something you loved can evoke the same feeling. What a nice way to start your day!
I know I left a little of my heart in Iceland, and brought a little of it home with me as well. On a recent grocery trip, I made sure to add the seeds and muslei that make up a proper Icelandic cereal, and grabbed a jar of marmalade to give myself a little taste of Valka’s special spread for us on the Icelandic horse farm.
Find your anchors and you’ll never lose the feelings that “vacation-you” loves so very much! You’ll create a life that never needs escaping from.
Jennifer Boileau
Jenn is a 200 E-RYT yoga and meditation teacher, reiki master, and crystal alchemy sound bath facilitator. She offers reiki sessions both in person and remotely. Jenn also performs reiki attunements for those seeking to become practitioners themselves and accessible yoga classes for students of all ages and physical abilities. In these sessions, she uses the healing power of sound through pure quartz crystal singing bowls to take students on a journey of self-discovery, self-healing, and self-love. You can find Jenn on her website jenniferboileau.com, on social media @flowwithjenn, or teaching classes locally.
