Self-reflection for you & I: "What does Vacation mean to you?"
This photo was taken in November, 2017 on my last little getaway. We stopped by this lake on the drive home from Tofino. It had been a while since having a break from working and school. I forgot how good it felt to be in nature so I stripped down and let the sun kiss me from head to toe. Luckily nobody else saw!
I hope you enjoy this blog post, and if you are comfortable with sending me your reflections from the end, I would love to read them.
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Yesterday in class we were discussing ways to connect with our clients. How can we, as Holistic Nutritionists dig deeper when it comes to understanding their own meaning of health? There was a question a student offered that really stuck with me - "What does Vacation mean to you?" A question not often asked, yet makes you think. Most people consider a vacation a set time away from home, generally in another city or even another Country. Maybe your purpose is to get away from work grind, forget your winter blues, or simply to explore a new place. Perhaps you’ve only figured out the value once the trip is over, and you’re back at home reflecting. It could be a time to reboot, filled with rest. Or, it can be a time filled with adventure, and wanderlust. Sometimes, it becomes a quest for a life-changing experience. Often times I’m sure it changes depending on the physical, emotional, and spiritual place you are at in your life.
One of the many benefits to learning these interactive tools, is the self-reflective work you end up doing with yourself. And so, I pondered what it is Vacation means to me. This is perfect timing, as I just booked my flights to Cuba next month! A vacation I know will be a much-needed getaway, and undeniably an escape from the winter blues. I have an itch that needs to be scratched, and only the sun will satisfy. I crave a different culture, the sticky heat in the air, and the feeling of the sea as I’m diving through the deep blue.
Maybe it’s obvious now, but when the word vacation floats through my mind, before I have even closed my eyes I can smell the coconuts and feel the sun beaming over me. For someone else, it could be a deep green forest, with crisp air and a coffee mug in hand by the fire.
A vacation doesn’t always have to present itself so traditionally. Honestly, when it comes down to it, I can discover a vacation-like feel simply during a weekend off, or on a free afternoon. Time outdoors, with loved ones, time to cook, to create, or just to be alone. Ultimately, for me it’s the moments when I can focus on self-care.
Sometimes the most important vacation is the simplest, yet hardest of all. A vacation away from your phone, and computer. To simply turn it off and put it away. To give your mind a break from the ongoing stimulation. To just be in your favorite spot of your living space and breathe. For me that's in the sunny living room on the big comfy couch, watching my pet bunny Totoro nap amongst the house plants.
And so, my challenge to you is to just that, even if just for five minutes. Click the off button of your phone and/or computer, close your laptop screen, and click of that television. Close your eyes and reflect on what vacation means to you. Better yet, grab a journal and write it down.
*I have created a "What Does Vacation Mean to You?" worksheet for you to fill out during this time of self-reflection if you wish, or save it for a rainy day. You can download the pdf here or find it on the resource section of my website, under worksheets here.
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Simone
xx
