How to Treat Everyday Like Vacation – Easy Mindset Shifts to Transform Your Life

What if we lived everyday life with the same anticipation and excitement that we feel before an actual vacation. I know it sounds crazy, but what if we shifted the way we thought about and lived each day and truly treated each day like a vacation! Can you imagine how that might change things for you? Can you imagine just how much more joy you may find in the little moments of your day! What might just happen for you when you embrace a vacation state of mind?

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A Vacation State of Mind – How to Live Every Single Day Like You Are on Vacation

Recently, we got back home from our family vacation to Hilton Head Island. Truly, my most favorite week in the entire year. A full week with all my favorite people, under the same roof, in our happy place. Now, I  understand completely nor is it lost on me at all, what a gift it is. The best gift! A full week in one of my favorite places, with the people that I love the most. It was life giving. It was soul giving. I always come home from beach family vacation feeling excited, hopeful and refreshed in so many different ways. 

And coming home from a week at the beach where majority of the day was beach, eat, bike, repeat. Full of sunshine, endless giggles, and freedom. So much freedom. Where we felt as if we could just do whatever we wanted. No set schedule. I mean, we had a schedule, of course, because we were traveling with an almost three year old. So we did keep a schedule in terms of nap and when we needed to go to bed. However, within the schedule, we were loose.m

Bedtimes were later. We slept in later, naps were later. But, even within our more laid back atmosphere, we found our own flow and rhythm.

The Joy of Vacation

Coming home, I have felt so refreshed and excited for the second half of summer break, as well as excited for gearing up for the second half of the year. Which has me thinking, how can I take what I love about vacation and how can I bring that with me in my normal life? Because if you think about it, we love going on vacation.

Being somewhere new and exciting for a few days, having more fun things on the agenda. Experiencing different situations that aren’t your normal day to day brings a new level of excitement to your life. But what if we took the same excitement that we did prior to going on a vacation and brought it to our every day!

The Purpose Behind Approaching Everyday Like a Vacation

Because that’s my purpose behind this. So many of us get stuck in the day to day. We get stuck in the overwhelm. Stuck in having big goals and big ideas and crazy, unrealistic expectations for ourselves. And we never know what to do because we fall short.

We get stuck. It’s too much. We don’t know. So we shut down. But there’s more for us! There is more to life than just feeling overwhelmed. There is more to life than just feeling stressed and busy. We need to be able to slow down and plug into the moments we are in and really find a purpose to them. 

And that is exactly what this whole message is about. What can happen when we embrace a vacation state of mind? What happens when we change our thoughts. Our thoughts are so powerful. Our mind is so incredibly powerful. There’s so much we can do just by changing the position of the thoughts we have, and what we hold over ourselves.

Change Your Thoughts to Embrace a Vacation State of Mind

Therefore, what if we changed our thoughts. What if we truly challenged ourselves to approach every single day as a vacation? To fully and completely embrace a vacation state of mind! Now, if you’re thinking, I can’t do that. I have kids. I have a job. The house needs to be clean. I know and I fully understand. However, I am about to share with you something that’s going to change how you think. Something that will allow you to move through your days with more excitement and more joy!

Your Pre-Vacation to-Do List

Before we dive in, think with me for a moment. Pretend you are about to go on a week long vacation and start to create in your mind the list of things that you would do prior to going on a trip. Your pre-vacation to-do list. There’s so many things to put on this list. The things that need to get done around the house. Maybe clean your car if you’re driving in your car. Catch up on laundry in order to have clean clothes to pack.

Maybe before going on vacation you need to buy a new outfit or two. Or a new book, or find a new book from your library, because of course you’re going to want to read while you’re there. For our family, when we go to the beach, we always bring a puzzle and do a puzzle within the week, so that’s also on my pre-vacation to do list.

What Happens When You Know You Are Traveling

Often times when we know we’re going traveling we want to pamper ourselves. For example, getting your nails done. Things that allow you to feel physically prepared for a vacation. This list doesn’t end here. Planning ahead for a week away, you need to know what outfits you are going to wear so that you can pack accordingly.

All the random errands that have to be run. All the things that need to be purchased, packed and organized. There’s the five trips to Target, and then one more because you forgot toothpaste. But not just this, right? And while it is stressful, you also have an overwhelming excitement and anticipation. The giddiness, and the joy. When you are so excited about what’s about to happen, that you aren’t even bothered by the weight or length of your to-do list. You don’t seem to mind it, because hey you are about to be on vacation!

But what if we took all these things that we normally do when we are anticipating a vacation, and what if we approached every day just the same? While you may not do some of these exact things prior to a vacation, you have your own list. You have your own list of what you deem important and necessary. Regardless of who you are, most likely you do have some kind of list.

But what if we challenged ourselves to approach every day as a vacation

As you check off the list and the things that need to be done, it’s interesting to think how any of these things could be done any given time of the year. So what if we did? What if we did these things every week to in order to fully embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every single next day, just as we would if we were going on vacation!

Imagine how a week would go for you personally if you were just as excited, beach excited, vacation excited for a week at work or another week of classes.  Imagine taking that level of excitement that you feel when you know a vacation is coming up and bring that to your everyday life. Think of the freedom that you would experience. The joy and rest that would be felt living in a vacation state of mind.

Why Do We Love Vacation So Much?

Why do we love vacation so much? Well, oftentimes vacations provide an opportunity to reset, to reconnect, to rejuvenate, to replenish and restore.  Plus, they’re relaxing and fun. A time where we can freely pursue the things that fuel us that we so often don’t normally do.

Think, when you’re on vacation, we immediately connect with the original core pillars that hold our hearts. The things that make us, us! Therefore, what if we created an environment in our everyday life where we could actually appreciate and rest in a vacation like state of mind. Imagine the position our hearts would be in by the end of the week and every single week after.

Own Your Mindset. Change Your Life.

It sounds so crazy and I understand that. But this is something that I think we really need to tap into and something that we really need to embrace. When we can own our mindset, we can change our life. Think of how after a vacation, typically most humans feel rested. They feel further encouraged and refined in their identity, their dreams, and their purposes. 

This is one of my most favorite things about traveling. The ability to step away from your normal situation, your normal everyday routines, and look at things from a different perspective. See things a little more clearly. A chance to figure out what’s working, figure out what’s not working and come up with a different strategy or solution.

There’s a really beautiful thing that happens when you can take a quick pause from your normalcy and see things differently.  I dream the most when I have that ability to step away from my normal. But what if we created a new normal that allowed us to equally step away and retreat? What would this actually look like?

Vacation State of Mind – 9 Simple Steps to Live Everyday as a Vacation

In order to fully embrace a vacation state of mind, I have nine simple steps. Nine simple mind shifts in order to treat every day as if it were a vacation. Now I know. This is not going to be you sitting on the beach, or at an all-inclusive resort. Or hanging out in your cabin in the mountains. This is you in your normal life. But, nine simple things that you can do every single day in order to treat it as if it were actual vacation.

Why? Well, so that you can live more fully. So that you can be less stressed. More so that you can take time to pause and rest. Even with all the crazy and within all of the overwhelm, you can find more moments of peace, quiet, and stay grounded where you are.

Step #1 to Live Every Day as a Vacation: Designated Time to Unplug

The very first thing to do in order to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every single day as if it were a vacation is to create a set time each day to unplug. 

What if every single day you had a very set specific time where you turned off your phone. Or you put it in a different room. Or you turned on Do Not Disturb?  But what if you did that? What if you found a time that was a safe time to be unplugged. Where you were fully tuned in to the people around you? Where you are disengaged with the world, disengaged with social media, disengaged with your inbox, and you focus in on your heart. 

One of the Coolest Things About Going on Vacation

One of the coolest things about actually going on vacation is oftentimes, you are not on your phone as much. Hopefully, on vacation, you are able to put your phone away and be connected with the people around you and the scenery that you’re in.

And that’s a really simple thing that we can do in our own everyday life in order to treat each day as if it were a vacation. Set an actual time where you are able to unplug. Whether that’s in the morning, during dinner time, or in the evening. Think through your day and your schedule. Determine what that would look like for you? What would be a time of your day where you would love to just separate yourself from your phone? And make that a reality. Finding a time each day to unplug is essential to embracing a vacation state of mind.

Step #2 to Live Every Day as a Vacation: Slower Start to the Morning

The second step in order to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every day as if it were vacation is to build a slower start to your day within your morning routine. I think we all could agree that one of the best parts about vacation is the slower starts to the day. Unless you’re trying to go chase a hike or something early before traffic and the heat.

But one of the best parts about any vacation is not having as many things set on the schedule. Which allows you to have a slower start to your day. You can sleep in, drink your coffee slower, have a moment and read. So what if we actually made this something that happened during every single day of life?

Build a Slower Start to Your Day

What if our days started by drinking a slower cup of coffee? While reading something that is purposeful for your heart. Whether that’s in the word or through a devotional or just a really good book that you love to read.  What if you purposely create this moment for yourself every single day. It doesn’t have to be crazy, nor does it have to be extravagant.

It could be something super simple  I have a friend that recently shared on her morning routine on her social media recently. And it involved her kids. She plays three different worship songs, which in total are about fifteen minutes. She sits outside on her back porch, and her kids, who are 3 and 5 know that during this time, when mom’s listening to the music, it’s quiet time. And I think this is such a beautiful, yet simple way to have a slower cadence to the start of your day.

It Is Absolutely Possible to Start Your Day More Slowly

Because if you’re reading this thinking, there’s no way! I’m in the thick of it. There’s no way I can have a slower start to my morning routine. Find a way. It is possible, even if it’s five minutes. Even if it’s ten minutes. Or just a quick three minutes where you’re taking time to have that slower start.

Think how can you slow your morning down more than what it already is? Maybe that looks like waking up a few minutes before your kids and finding that time for yourself. This is definitely something that will help create a more vacation like state of mind. Slowing things down, taking your time. Not rushing the next moment, but sitting where you are and letting it fuel yourself to start the day.

Vacation State of Mind Step #3 – Treat yourself

The third step in order to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every day as if it were a vacation is to treat yourself. What if, just like so many of us do before vacation, you go treat yourself. Whether that’s a new outfit or a new pair of shoes. Or just a nice little pair of earrings that you want to add into your wardrobe to spice things up a little bit.

Sometimes it’s the littlest of things in life that make all the difference in the world. So why not think about that as you live out your day, as you live out your week. Think about treating yourself a little bit more. Doing something that is going to make you feel good and boost your confidence. You deserve it!

Step #4 – Plan ahead

The fourth step to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every day as if it were vacation is to plan ahead. Think about it. When you go on vacation, you plan out so many things ahead of time. You’re packing to take clothes with you so you know ahead of time what outfits you’re planning on wearing. Specifically, what you’re going to wear if you’re going to go for a walk or you’re going out to dinner.

So just as you would when packing a suitcase for a trip, plan ahead. Think through what am I going to wear this week? What am I going to wear today? Additionally, what am I going to wear tomorrow? Take the time to plan ahead. It’ll save you so much time in the morning and a lot of anxiety the night before. And that extra time in the morning can be spent to having a slower start to your day. Which will give you even more peace in the process. In order to fully embrace a vacation state of mind, be sure to plan ahead!

Vacation State of Mind Step #5 – Create time in your day to do the things you truly love to do.

The fifth step to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every day as if it were vacation is to create time in your day to do the things you truly love to do. Even if it’s just for 20 minutes.  Take the time to do the things you know you love to do. When I’m on vacation, I love to read. We just got back from the beach where I brought 8 books with me and I read 4 of them in a week. 6 days of vacation and I read 4 books and it was everything. I loved it. I loved being able to get so lost and absorbed into a story where it’s completely consuming you.

Or maybe it’s working on a puzzle. The three things that I love to do on vacation, when we go to the beach include reading, working on a puzzle, and going on bike rides. But the question is, why do I save that for vacation only? Why not do that more often? Why don’t we carve out the time within our day to do the things we truly love to do.

Think about that. How could you, in your normal day to day life, carve out just 20 minutes to do something that you truly love to do? Something that you recognize you fully need in that moment. Think about what that looks like for you and your life and make it happen this week. By taking the time to actually do the things you love to do, you are making it possible to embrace a vacation state of mind.

Vacation State of Mind Step #6 – Treat yourself with a little pampering

Number six, the sixth step to embracing a vacation state of mind is to treat yourself with a little pampering. Think about going on vacation and how you might go get your nails done prior to leaving on your trip. Figure out a way to incorporate a little pampering in your normal everyday life. Now I get it. It’s totally unrealistic to go do all these crazy, extravagant self care spa situations. In fact, there are super simple ways to easily incorporate more self-care into your life.

But what if we took the time to spend a little pampering? Even if it is just a bubble bath or taking time to add a little spice to your evening routine with maybe a face mask or extra moisturizer. But what if you treat yourself with a little pampering? And allow yourself to feel that, feel that little bliss. This is another sure way to start living in a vacation state of mind!

Step #7 – Prioritize the Moments with the People Who Mean the Most

Number seven, the seventh thing to do in order to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every day as if it were vacation is to prioritize the moments with the people who mean the most. 

What if within all of the crazy, all of the hustle, and all of the chaos, what if you took time to put yourself  first. What if you made yourself available to your family and to you and your needs. Can you imagine what it would look like if you actually made this a priority? The whole point of going on vacation is prioritizing spending that quality time. Spending time with your spouse, spending time with your friends, spending time with your kids.

Take The Time to be Fully Present With Your People

Take time to fully be there, present with your people. What if we find more moments within our everyday life? What if instead of trying to jump to the next thing on our to do list, what if we stop and sit in that moment? More specifically, what if we don’t try to rush bedtime as desperate as we are wanting to do. When we are so eager to think about what we’re going to do next?

Why don’t we just sit and be in that moment. Be still in that moment. Read one more book. Hold the little hands and snuggle one more moment. Showing up and being fully present in that moment. When you prioritize spending moments with the people who mean the most, you are absolutely embracing a vacation state of mind.

Vacation State of Mind Step #8 – Place a healthy emphasis on proper hydration and exercise

The eighth step to embracing a vacation state of mind and treating every single day as if it were a vacation is to place a healthy emphasis on proper hydration and exercise. Oftentimes, before going on vacation, we come up with crazy, big, unrealistic expectations of what to eat and how to exercise. We desire to get to a place where I feel good, look good, etc. prior to going on a trip.

What if instead of coming up with crazy, unrealistic expectations rooted in an end goal on how we should look. Or how much we should weigh or how our body should fit in certain clothes by a specific date for certain trips. What if we just focused very basic on the reality of feeling healthy, strong and confident in our own skin.

Focus on Feeling Healthy, Strong & Confident

Instead of all these crazy things, why don’t I just focus on that? I want to be healthy, I want to feel strong, and I want to feel confident. And let that be your focus. Let that be what you’re trying to meet when you are focusing in on hydration and nutrition and exercise.  And so as you go through your week, okay, alright, you know what? 

I’m going to focus on doing the things I need so that I can be healthy, that I can feel strong, and that I can be confident. What does that look like? What are those basic things I need to do so I can have those goals met  and those needs met? By focusing in on finding a healthy emphasis on hydration and exercise, you are on your way to living in a vacation state of mind.

Step #9 to Embrace a Vacation State of Mind – Plan excitement into your week ahead

Finally, the ninth step to embrace a vacation state of mind and treat every single day as vacation, plan out your week in advance to include things that make you excited and giddy. Think about it! We’re all excited and giddy about going on vacation because we know we’re going to go to that favorite restaurant. Or going to explore something completely new. We’re going to have that day of total fun, total relaxation.

What if we found little ways to bring that into our normal day-to-day life every week of the year?  So what if you actually pinpointed your week out in advance?  Based on what you can control, of course, to be able to experience an intentional excitement and giddiness.  And I get it, you’re thinking, this is totally crazy. That I don’t understand, there’s too much going on. There’s no way I can just pretend I’m on vacation for a week, I get it. Trust me, I completely get it.

Know That You Can Absolutely Do This

However, you need to know you can do this.  And it’s important. Because our mind and our mentality have the ability and the potential to determine our actions and our outlook We have the ability to think positive things and see them to fruition. So yes! Let’s do what we can to anticipate each week with the exact same anticipation as we would while on vacation. Because when we can do that, we are unlocking the potential for further joy and further peace.

So what’s going to make you happy? What’s going to bring you excitement? Maybe it’s planning your favorite meal to make at home. Or your favorite TV show to watch at night during the week. A bubble bath that is calling your name full of all the bubbles and Epsom salt. Maybe you’re going to go out to your favorite restaurant one night this week.

Where in your day can you bring in the things that you get really excited about. On Friday morning, I’m going to go pick up a nice coffee on my way to work. What are things that you could do to bring that excitement and that giddiness? Plan for it just as you would when you’re on vacation. That is the key to living with a vacation state of mind.

9 Simple Mindset Shifts to Embrace a Vacation State of Mind

There you have it. The nine simple mindset shifts in order to embrace a vacation state of mind. The nine things to really think about in order to incorporate within your day, to treat each day as if it were vacation. Quick little recap for you:

1. Setting a time each day to unplug. 
2. Building a slower start to your day within your morning routine.
3. Treating yourself
4. Planning ahead
5. Creating time in your day to the things you truly love to do
6. Pamper yourself
7. Prioritize the moments with the people who mean the most
8. Place a healthy emphasis on proper hydration and exercise
9. Planning out your week in advance to include the things that make you excited and giddy

Extend Grace to Yourself Always

Finally, the most important thing of all. Grace. Extend endless grace to yourself. If you think about the moments leading up to vacation, a lot of times humans carry a more carefree aspect to themselves. Oh, I’m going on vacation next week, so I will take care of this later. Or, this can just wait until after I come home. 

Whatever your dialogue is may vary. However, it’s something to consider and bring with us in our own inner dialogue, every single day. Extend grace to yourself. Yes, do your best! But realize simply by showing up, attempting a smile, whether it’s genuine or not, and putting forth some effort is more than enough.

Reminder – You Are More Than Enough

Realize that you are more than enough. So have grace for yourself. When you don’t meet your personal goals or your own quota or criteria. Shrug your shoulders, learn a quick lesson to help you develop more as a human. But have grace for yourself always. Because we have to give up on holding on to this expectation of perfectionism that so many of us cling to as a lifeline and as a standard of self worth.

You are worth more than any expectation this world, society, social media sets. You are worthy of more. Worthy of a life that radiates joy, peace and hope. And you are capable of having that. You are capable of living out a vacation state of mind and treating every single day like it’s vacation.

It Is Possible to Treat Every Single Day Like a Vacation

I hope this found you in a good place. I hope you feel encouraged, excited and eager. Ready to go take this with you and fully take on a vacation state of mind. Think of one little way that you can focus on this. Maybe that’s just your mind. Maybe this week you are going to lean more into the excitement, and to look more for the joy. Or maybe this week you are going to prioritize doing something that you truly love to do. Or maybe you are going to zone in on being in the moment with the people that you love the most.

Regardless of what your focus is this week, it is possible. You can absolutely treat each day just as you would for a vacation and realize there’s so much joy and so many silver linings already surrounding you. Cheering you on every single step of the way! Have the best day!

More Powerful Ways to Shift Your Mindset

Looking for additional encouragement to unlock a more positive mindset? Be sure to check out how to turn around a bad day. 6 specific things for you to do in order to turn your day around and have a better day. Additionally, be sure to check out how to make the most of each day, in order to allow yourself to unlock the potential that you, your mindset, and each day can bring.