Vacation Mode
Stress is relatively new. In the 1950’s, if someone was feeling under enormous pressure, you may have heard them say, “I’m in distress,” but it wasn’t until the 1980’s when stress became a commonplace word, thrown around daily by men, women and even children. “I’m so stressed out,” we aver when we have too much to do and too little time to do it.
Pressures and responsibilities are not the problem. Sure, they induce a certain level of stress, but that’s life and we need to step up to the plate. The real problem is chronic stress, stress that never stops. It dis-regulates the nervous system, indefinitely keeping us in fight, flight, freeze or fawn.
For a good chunk of my adult life, I paid zero attention to my stress levels. I simply soldiered on. I got away with it too, by maybe taking a nap on the occasional day off. About five years ago however, stress reduction became imperative for me because it was obviously weakening my vitality. I think this cycle is true for most women. The time comes when we feel compromised by stress and realize, “OMG, chronic stress is a killer.”
The word "stress” comes from the Latin word stringere which means “to draw tight." That’s very telling. Tight breathing is shallow and skimpy. Tight muscles are contradicted and stiff. Tight is fear and fear is anti-flow. Staying in anti-flow for too long is the beginning of the end!
Can you get time away? Are you able to go on vacation? Something to consider this year or perhaps on your next vacation, is leverage it. Prioritize vacation mode. In this day and age of 24/7 stress, getting into vacation mode can save your life. Why? Because vacation mode is flow state, and flow state is really good for you.
Vacation mode induces:
• deep breathing
• slow exhales
• relaxed muscles
• a warm body
• an unrushed mind
• an unhurried body
• a leisurely pace to the day
• in-the-momentness
The biological effects of vacation mode are:
• lower cortisol levels
• restored adrenals
• lower blood pressure
• alpha or theta brain waves
• sounder sleep
“In matters of healing the body or the mind, vacation is a true genius.” — Mehmet Murat
There’s lots of people out there that only get into flow state when on vacation, once a year. Yikes…but it’s better than nothing.
I’m currently spending a whole week on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. My family and I are having lazy beach days, watching sunrises and sunsets, biking and surfing, and enjoying slow mornings and no agendas. We all feel our everyday stresses fall away. Even the teenagers notice their stress levels going down. (Sure, our vacation includes ice cream and fried foods, but it redeems itself with plenty of flow state.)
Can’t get away?
Taking a yoga class, going for a walk in nature, experiencing your morning ritual, enjoying a creative outlet (like painting and knitting), and sitting in meditation are activities known to induce the flow state in real life, and on a regular basis. These are powerful actions, a.k.a, restorative downtime, and can prolong your life too.
Our culture has everyone obsessed with protein. The workout world loves to push heavy weight lifting. How about respecting the nervous system a little more? I’m a big fan of vacation mode…better health can come to you on vacation.