As we explored last week, travel offers a fantastic way to break free from the daily grind, providing new environments and experiences that can significantly reduce stress. However, it’s not always feasible to embark on a long (and potentially expensive) journey due to time constraints, budget limitations, or other commitments. This brings us to an equally effective yet often overlooked stress management strategy: the staycation.
A staycation allows you to reap the benefits of a vacation without the need to travel far from home. By embracing local attractions, engaging in relaxing activities, and creating a retreat-like atmosphere within your own community, staycations can offer the rejuvenation and mental break we all need. Let’s delve into how you can plan and enjoy a staycation to effectively manage stress and enhance your well-being.
When comparing traveling with a staycation in terms of stress management, several factors come into play based on the available evidence:
1. Traveling:
Positive Impact on Immune Function: Traveling has been found to have a counterstress effect on proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting a positive impact on immune function. (We explain this a little more in the travel post if you are interested.)
Recovery from Work Stress: A vacation via travel offers a valuable opportunity for recovery from work-related stress, allowing individuals to replenish resources and prevent chronic strain reactions to job stress.
Alleviation of Perceived Job Stress: Taking a break from work via travel can alleviate perceived job stress and burnout, leading to lower stress levels compared to those experienced chronically at work.
Engaging in Relaxing Activities: Participating in relaxing activities during a trip can significantly reduce stress levels and contribute to overall well-being.
2. Staycation:
Detachment from Work Environment: A staycation involves staying at or near home and not traveling. While it may offer a break from the workplace, the physical proximity to work-related stimuli might make it challenging to fully detach from work responsibilities.
Potential for Detox from Work: On the positive side, a staycation can provide an opportunity to detox from work stress without the need for travel, allowing individuals to relax and engage in leisure activities in a familiar environment.
Limited Change of Environment: Unlike vacations that involve a change of scenery, a staycation may not offer the same level of novelty and escape from routine that can help in reducing stress.
Impact on Detachment Self-Efficacy: Employees may use fewer vacation days for a staycation if they do not believe they can successfully detach from work during this time, affecting the stress-relieving potential of a staycation.
While both traveling and staycations can provide opportunities for stress management, traveling, with its potential for a change of environment, detachment from work stressors, and engagement in relaxing activities, may offer more effective stress reduction benefits compared to a staycation, which may have limitations in terms of detachment from work-related stimuli and the novelty of experiences. You can nip that risk in the bud!
To ensure your staycation effectively alleviates stress, it’s essential to plan it thoughtfully.
Create a Staycation Itinerary
Plan out your staycation activities in advance to ensure a balance of relaxation, leisure, and exploration, maximizing the benefits of your time off (Moon & Chan, 2022). Below is the text version of the steps for creating a Staycation Itinerary. Click for the printable version for those that prefer to print and write.
Here are some guidelines to help you create a staycation that leaves you feeling refreshed and recharged:
Plan ahead. Go into your staycation with an intentional plan and you will optimize the effectiveness of a staycation as a stress management tool
Step 1: Define Your Staycation Goals
Objective: Focus on Enjoyment! Prioritize activities that bring you joy and relaxation, focusing on the experience rather than productivity or tasks (Zhang et al., 2022).
Identify what you want to achieve with your staycation.
Relaxation and rest
Exploring local attractions
Indulging in hobbies and interests
Quality time with family or friends
Step 2: Set a Budget
Financial Planning: Determine how much you’re willing to spend.
Meals and dining out
Local activities and events
Entertainment and hobbies
Step 3: Prepare a Stress-Free Environment
Create a Comfortable Environment (Westman & Eden, 1997; Westman & Etzion, 2001).
Home Ambiance: Enhance your home environment to make it feel like a retreat.
Declutter and clean your space
Add cozy touches (e.g., candles, soft blankets, plants)
Set up areas for relaxation (e.g., a reading nook, outdoor seating)
Step 4: Set Boundaries with work commitments and avoid checking work emails or messages during your staycation to fully disconnect and reduce stress (Westman & Etzion, 2001). Use your staycation as an opportunity to disconnect from work-related tasks, emails, and responsibilities to allow your mind to rest and recharge (Westman & Etzion, 2001).
Setting boundaries with work during your vacation is crucial to ensure you can fully relax and recharge. Here’s a list of steps to help you effectively communicate and maintain those boundaries:
- Notify your team in advance and send a reminder the week before.
- Finish high-priority tasks before leaving.
- Clearly communicate your availability (or lack thereof) during your vacation.
- Identify any obvious tasks that will need attention while you’re away and arrange for coverage.
- Create an out-of-office email response indicating the dates of your absence and an emergency contact person.
- Update your voicemail with a similar message
Step 5: Implement your chosen level of a “Digital Detox”
Limit screen time and social media usage during your staycation to reduce mental clutter and promote relaxation (Sofiani, 2022).
- Plan activities that don’t involve screens
- Turn Off Notifications
- Use Do Not Disturb Mode
- Set Up Auto-Responders
- Decide on specific times when you might allow limited use of devices
- Limit the duration of these times.
- Avoid checking emails or messages unless absolutely necessary.
Step 6: Choose Activities and Experiences
Create a flexible schedule for your staycation activities that has a balance of planned activities with downtime. Include both structured and spontaneous activities
Engaging in leisure pursuits that bring you joy and fulfillment, whether it’s trying out a new hobby, cooking a special meal, or engaging in creative pursuits (Westman & Eden, 1997; Westman & Etzion, 2001) have been associated with increased overall well-being and act as a buffer against stress (Takeda et al., 2015). They provide with opportunities to relax, experience satisfaction, and promote a sense of freedom and autonomy (Campos et al., 2019). Other studies show links to reduced stress and anxiety, improving mental well-being, and enhancing social connections (Hammad et al., 2023).
***Plan relaxing activities! Since we are focusing on the staycation as a stress management tool, consider incorporating relaxing activities relaxing activities within your staycation, such as reading a book, practicing yoga, or enjoying nature walks, to help unwind and reduce stress, no matter what objective you select in Step 1 (Westman & Eden, 1997; Westman & Etzion, 2001).
Self-Care and Relaxation at Home: The activities that promote promote relaxation and well-being (Westman & Etzion, 2001).
Home spa day (e.g., facials, massages, bubble baths)
Reading a book
Binge-watching a series
Gardening
Crafting
Local Attractions: Research and list nearby attractions you’ve never visited or wish to explore again.
Parks and nature reserves
Museums and galleries
Historical sites and landmarks
Outdoor Activities: Engage in outdoor activities that you enjoy.
Hiking, biking, or walking trails
Picnics in local parks
Visiting nearby beaches or lakes
Plan Your Meals: Decide on meal plans that add to the enjoyment of your staycation.
Try new recipes
Cook favorite meals
Order from local restaurants
Plan special meals like a barbecue or themed dinner
Review your choices and ensure a layer of mindfulness and/or wellness, such as:
Yoga or meditation
Time in nature
Activities that bring joy and relaxation
Step 7: Ease back in
- Get a good night’s sleep the night before
- Check emails strategically
- Prioritize tasks and catch up gradually based on urgency and importance.
- Set realistic goals
- Set post-vacation boundaries
Step 8: Reflect and Adjust
Reflect on how well your boundaries were respected and any challenges you faced.
Adjust your approach for future vacations based on this experience.
Note how you felt being away (and offline), and what you enjoyed the most.
Establish ongoing breaks, self-care, and digital detox, practices.
Share your digital detox goals with a friend or family member who can help you stay accountable.
References:
Campos, J., Barbosa‐Ducharne, M., Dias, P., Rodrigues, S., Martins, A., & Leal, M. (2019). Emotional and behavioral problems and psychosocial skills in adolescents in residential care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36(3), 237-246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-018-0594-9
Hammad, M., Arif, R., Bano, S., Ghani, U., Basani, H., & Sanker, V. (2023). Aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic on mental health and well-being of patients with thalassemia major in pakistan: a qualitative study. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.35048
Moon, H. and Chan, H. (2022). Millennials’ staycation experience during the covid-19 era: mixture of fantasy and reality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(7), 2620-2639. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-07-2021-0932
Sofiani, S. (2022). Efektifitas promosi staycation hotel menggunakan digital marketing dalam mempertahankan tingkat hunian kamar di masa pandemi covid-19. Destinesia Jurnal Hospitaliti Dan Pariwisata, 3(2), 61-67. https://doi.org/10.31334/jd.v3i2.2078
Takeda, F., Noguchi, H., Monma, T., & Tamiya, N. (2015). How possibly do leisure and social activities impact mental health of middle-aged adults in japan?: an evidence from a national longitudinal survey. Plos One, 10(10), e0139777. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139777
Westman, M. and Eden, D. (1997). Effects of a respite from work on burnout: vacation relief and fade-out.. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(4), 516-527. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.82.4.516
Westman, M. and Etzion, D. (2001). The impact of vacation and job stress on burnout and absenteeism. Psychology and Health, 16(5), 595-606. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440108405529
Zhang, Y., Shen, H., Xu, J., & Qian, S. (2022). Antecedents of attitude and their impact on behavioral intention in the staycation context. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.996788