29 Jun Imagine feeling like you’re on holidays EVERY day!
Here in NSW, Australia it's school holidays and for many parents, not just children, that also means taking some time off.
Because who doesn't like a break? a Holiday? some time away engaging in pleasurable activities?
Maybe that's the definition of happiness!
But imagine if your life, every day, could feel more like holidays? Imagine if you had holidays 52 weeks of the year rather than just 4 or so?
Now that would be happiness…all year round!
And do you know what? This is actually possible. In this great article from LifeHack Kristin Wong provides some awesome ideas for spicing up your life and enjoying more of it more often. If that sounds good and if you'd like to enjoy more happiness then keep reading…
Last month, I took a nice, two-week holiday. I was excited, but even shortly into the trip, I was also dreading the awful feeling of coming back. It’s not the best attitude to have, but it’s easy to become anxious when holidays go by so fast. Before you know it, you’re stuck in the same grind you were in before you left. This time, I wanted things to be different.
When I’m travelling, I almost feel like a different person. I want to learn more. I can laugh at myself more. And I hate to say it, but I’m happier. Sure, holidays are lazy and indulgent; they make you happy by design. But I wondered if there wasn’t something more to it than that. I wondered what exactly it is about travelling that puts you in a totally different state of mind. So during this trip, I paid attention. My goal was to pinpoint the benefits of my holiday and sneak them into my everyday life.
Distance Yourself For A Fresh Perspective
When I come back from a trip, I have a new perspective, I’m better at solving problems, and I find it easier to brush off small, distracting annoyances. This is thanks to the mental distance of a proper break.
Breaks help you stay motivated, creative, and efficient — a growing number of studies support this. As Scientific American reports, your brain does all sorts of regenerative work during a break:
…many important mental processes seem to require what we call downtime… Downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life.
We’ve already told you why relaxation is important too, so I won’t get into it much more. The point is, a break is mental distance from everyday bullshit. Breaks, downtime, distance — whatever you want to call it, it works wonders for your brain. That’s why holidays feel so necessary.
Take Better Breaks
I already use the Pomodoro technique to remind myself to take breaks. But my breaks often involve thinking about work, replying to emails, or doing some other task that requires problem-solving. I always anticipate getting back to my desk, and I keep a close eye on the clock. Basically, I half-arse my breaks. I don’t distance myself from anything, which makes them useless.
Mental distance is easier on holiday — out of sight, out of mind. But when your everyday life and your work are in front of you, it’s harder. To take a proper break, I’ve found that the key is to distance myself physically so I can distance myself mentally. Here’s what helps…
…keep reading for much more and the full & original article HERE