Take a Personal Spring Break
Is it time to take a personal spring break? Spring is a perfect time of year to breathe, relax, reflect, and restore. Spring break is for more than just college and school students. Every day, you work hard, but you don’t play hard. You take care of others but not yourself. You need a break! What if you take one week off just for your health and wellness? Use them for vacation or PTO (Personal Time Off) days! Here are ten things to do when you take a personal spring break.
Take Naps
First, you can take a nap every day. There’s nothing like an afternoon snooze! Whether 20 minutes or an hour, you will love waking up refreshed. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, adults aged 18–60 should sleep at least 7 hours each night to promote optimal health and wellbeing. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three adults doesn’t get enough sleep. One-third of the nation’s adults are not getting a good night’s sleep. During your spring break, take the time for a midday nap to replenish your energy.
Get a Full-Bodied Massage
When you take a personal spring break, get a full-body massage. Indeed, you have some kinks to work out of your shoulders, neck, feet, or back. A 60—or 90-minute massage can invigorate you. An American Massage Therapy Association article states that massage therapy can help reduce stress, anxiety, and muscle tension. The article, 25 Reasons to Get A Massage, gives an excellent overview of the benefits of massage therapy.
Take a Getaway Vacation
Take a personal spring break and go on a three or four-day getaway vacation. Think of it as a micro-vacation. Consider three-day weekends if you only have a little week of vacation time. Therefore, you can plan two or three getaways during the year.
Also, the benefit of quick getaways is that you will be happier and more relaxed when you return. You can be spontaneous or take time to plan your trip. Choose a location based on what type of activities you want to do. Do you want a beach, spa, or both? Book a flight, hotel, and Viator tour. Then pack your weekend bag and enjoy yourself!
Cook Healthy Meals
A personal spring break is a great time to try new and healthier recipes. Many of us are not the healthiest eaters. Most mornings, you must eat breakfast before running out of the door. Due to your work schedule, you barely have time to eat a healthy lunch. Then, it would help if you had more time to cook a nutritious dinner upon returning home in the evening.
So, what do you do? Many days, it’s fast food or restaurant food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While on your spring break, you can be creative in the kitchen. Plan, grocery shop, and prepare delicious meals for you and your family.
Meet Friends for Lunch or Dinner
Scheduling time with friends is another thing to do during a personal spring break. Did you know that friendships enrich your life and can improve your health? An article in Psychology Today, “Why Do We Need Friends? Six Benefits of Healthy Friendships,” states that true friends keep you grounded and support you. Furthermore, lifelong and good friends will be your ride-or-die whenever needed. Often, women get so busy with work, family issues, and personal matters that friends are on the back burner. Spring break is perfect for a girls’ or guys’ night out.
Watch a Movie
Going to the movies and buying popcorn and snacks is entertaining during a personal spring break. You can go alone or with friends. Whether you like mysteries, action, romance, or Sci-Fi, it’s a chance to escape reality. The average movie is approximately 120 minutes. Movie houses have very comfortable settings with reclining chairs and surround sound. Therefore, the ambiance is perfect for relaxation. A great film can make you laugh, cry, dream, think, or escape. Once the movie is over, you will feel much better.
Read a Book
Reading has health benefits, too. You know all of the books you have meant to read. Yes, the ones piled up on your nightstand or the e-books or Real Simple magazine published an article titled “8 Science-Backed Reasons to Read a (Real) Book.” It talked about the joy of holding an actual book in your hand. Reading is beneficial to your health because it helps you relax. Socially, reading makes you more empathetic. Most importantly, reading can help you sleep.
Binge Watch Your Favorite Shows
Catch up on your favorite TV shows during a personal spring break. Remember, all of the shows you’ve wanted to catch up on watching. Or do you have a list of shows queued on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime? Now, you have a week to sit and binge. While you’re watching, eat healthy snacks and forget about everything else for a few hours.
Spend Quality Family Time
The family should always come first. Your busy schedule only allows a little bonding time with your spouse or children. Special bonding moments with family must be meaningful. Therefore, plan a special outing or project with your immediate children, spouse, siblings, or parents during a personal spring break.
The benefits of spending time together include family members learning to listen and work together. Also, family members get to know each other better and have the opportunity to have fun together. Schedule valuable quality time with your family during your spring break.
Exercise
Take a personal spring break to begin a new wellness routine that includes exercising. Everyone needs to exercise regularly, but most people need more exercise. This is when you can start a new healthy exercise routine at least three times per week. Healthline.com writes about the Top 10 Benefits of Regular Exercise. A couple of the benefits are that training makes you emotionally happier and physically healthier. Exercise can also help you sleep better and improve your memory.
Conclusion
Now you have some ideas and a guide for spending time during a personal spring break. These ten things to do during spring break are just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, we don’t want you to overplan or overextend yourself during the time off. You can stay home or visit one of the best spring break destinations. Maybe you want to avoid the college spring breakers. It’s your choice.
Remember, it’s personal time for your wellbeing. We want you refreshed and relaxed. You deserve the rest, but also experience something entertaining. Afterward, you’ll have more emotional and physical bandwidth to return to work. Life and years go by quickly, so enjoy your spring break.
Links
Wellness Check! Rate your Eight Dimensions of Wellness. Download and complete the Wellness Wheel of Life.Wheel-of-life-postcard-pdf
I agree. We have to make a conscious effort to look after our bodies and our spirit. Putting too much emphasis on either the mental or the physical will create an imbalance.