Here is what a holiday ought to be: a time to stop work, switch off, rest, relax and recover. In reality, however, this can be difficult – especially if we find ourselves without any travel plans.  

Staying at home during the holiday period can make it more difficult to escape from the external pulls on our attention: the mess that needs clearing, the garden that needs tidying, the Tupperware cupboard that needs organising. None of which is conducive to relaxation.  

A holiday state of mind 

Holidays, however, are as much about the state of mind as they are about the destination. While going away certainly makes it easier to switch off, the responsibility for benefitting from a holiday lies with us, rather than our location. Wherever you travel, it’s still you who’s there.  

So here are 10 tips to help cultivate a holiday state of mind when you’re not going away. 

1. Accept that you are at home – however much you may want to be elsewhere 

Acceptance is different from resignation – it’s simply about acknowledging the situation exactly as it is. Wishing and longing to be elsewhere, or holding on tight to the disappointment of not going on holiday, will not make this any easier. 

2. Take a break 

Routine can hoodwink us into living on autopilot, missing out on things that might just spark our imagination. It is time away from routine – and the novelty of this – that make us feel like we are on holiday. Have toast for breakfast if you usually have cereal. Watch a film in the middle of the day, even if it feels decadent. Dig out your holiday clothes and (if the weather’s warm enough) wear them. 

3. Try something new  

Visit new places (even just in your local area), learn new things, try a new recipe, talk to different people.  

Our brains process information more quickly when something is familiar, so time seems to fly by. When something is new, it takes our brains longer to put the information in order – which is why it always feels like it takes longer going somewhere new than it does coming back. So even walking the dog on a new route can make time slow down during the holidays. 

4. Slow down and pay attention  

Walking, eating, making a cup of tea – slow it all right down, and pay focused attention to what you’re doing. The more we focus on life, the less it will slip by us and the more joy we will find there.  

Look around you. Pay attention to the environment. There is so much to appreciate – so much beauty within easy reach. 

5. Meditate 

Take some time to meditate, even for five minutes a day. Spend some time being in the present, away from the inner pulls on your attention. Headspace and Calm are great apps to support you with this. 

6. Turn off social media 

Taking a break from watching what everyone else is up to – and scrolling through photos of their sunkissed holidays abroad – might be beneficial to your own wellbeing. 

7. Forget about work 

Stash your work bag and schoolbooks somewhere out of view, and turn off email notifications. Try to exert some control over the external pulls on your attention. 

8. Relax  

Have a bath, spend the day reading or take a walk in the park. Spending time outdoors is good for our mental health. 

9. Listen to music 

Compile a summer playlist – the music we play can really affect how we feel. 

10. Look at old holiday photos 

Remembering an experience can help cultivate the same feelings you had at the time. So, counterintuitive though it may feel, dig out old holiday photos. Look up old holiday destinations online. Go out for a meal similar to the ones you ate on holiday – or try recreating the foods at home.  
 

Book your dream holiday now – for the bargain price of cultivating the right frame of mind.