Hey all! I just finished up a 12 day staycation and...it was magical. If you've been around this site for any amount of time, you know how much I adore traveling. But I have to say, there's absolutely nothing like a long, indulgent staycation to get you refreshed and replenished. What's great is that you get the benefit of an ACTUAL vacation. Too often these days, vacation has looked more like work. There's the pressure to do as much as you can, the unending fear of missing out, the posting to social media (if you're that kind of person), not to mention the actual travel itself which, if you're like me, feels inherently stressful.

Earlier this year I traveled to Bali. And while it was absolutely incredible, it was a lot to take on. This time around, I wanted to take time off to truly rejuvenate. So my staycation was spent doing a whole lot of something, and a whole lot of nothing. Top priority was to REST. It was important to me to do a reset before we got into the busy holiday season. I also had some projects around the house that I wanted to complete in preparation for guests and the inevitably long winter when I'll find myself indoors more frequently.

I also made sure that I made the effort to immediately squash any feelings of guilt that arose, and gently pushed back against the idea that I had to be doing something in order to "make the best" of my time off from work. This was easier said than done, and it truly takes a certain amount of introspection to fight the conditioning many of us receive from an early age. I was encouraged by the work of The Nap Ministry, as well as these words, whenever feelings of shame and guilt arose...

“Rest time is not wasted time. It is economy to gather fresh strength… it is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run we shall do more by sometimes doing less.” - Charles Spurgeon

If you're looking to have a gentle staycation, but don't know what you'd do with time off, here are a few things I did. They're nothing miraculous or special at all. But sometimes empty days with no agenda feel particularly empty. Maybe these things will give you some ideas of how to take advantage of time off, and indulge in things you truly enjoy doing, without guilt or remorse!

• Visited with family
• Organized and prepared my home for the winter months
• Read
• Watched a favorite TV show
• Listened to podcasts
• Played my violin
• Came up with new cocktails
• Tended to my plants
• Wrote on my blog
• Made photo albums
• Started planning for 2019 
• Cooked/Baked
• Played video games
• Listened to music
• Played a new board game
• Took naps