7 psychological tips to enjoy the holidays

Summer vacations are the most anticipated period for a large part of the population, the moment in which we have internalized that we will be able to have several days in a row to disconnect from the routine and the bulk of our responsibilities labor. However, the simple fact that we like to enjoy the vacation period does not mean that we know how to take advantage of it and squeeze its possibilities. In fact, there are not a few who, without realizing it, self-sabotage during this time of year, and have problems enjoying all the benefits that free time brings us.

In order to make the most of and enjoy this period to the fullest, it is important that you know several emotional management strategies and psychologically healthy routines that will help you enjoy your vacation and make those days not simply a relief from the lack of professional obligations.

• Related article: "Emotional management: 10 keys to dominate your emotions"

Psychological recommendations to enjoy your vacation

These are several general tips and recommendations that, from the point of view of Psychology, will help you make the most of your vacations.

1. keep a schedule

Having a more or less structured schedule during vacation weeks acts as a psychological control mechanism to prevent you from wasting your time.

Having many hours of free time in which everything is improvised can be beneficial at first, but in the long run it ends up being overwhelming if it is repeated too much, because it exposes us to many situations in which we must decide what to do and we feel the pressure of having to constantly evaluate our decisions.

That is why we must plan in advance a certain daily schedule to know at any time the activities that we can carry out. Otherwise, the lack of structure of the day will make us always fall into the same type of forms of entertainment. "by default" which in the long term is not very satisfactory: snacking between meals, checking our social networks over and over again, etc.

In this way we will avoid a sedentary lifestyle as much as possible, we will move away from an excessive consumption of television or other devices that give us little, and we will be able to carry out other meaningful and enriching activities during the day.

• You may be interested: "Time management: 13 tips to take advantage of the hours of the day"

2. Maintain an active social life

In order to avoid a too sedentary social life and spend many hours alone at home resting, It is of great importance that we keep our social life active, both with friends and with the environment family. This goes through share moments of active and meaningful communication, taking advantage of the fact that you will surely all have greater availability if your vacation period coincides.

Maintaining an active social life means spending time meeting our loved ones, going out for drinks, doing some joint cultural activity or going on an excursion during the weekend with those who make us happy life.

• Related article: "The 6 types of social skills, and what they are for"

3. Find time for yourself

As we have seen, during the vacation period it is important to spend time with friends and family to rest, recharge batteries and enjoy their company; however, it is also just as necessary to find time for ourselves, and not feel guilty about wanting to be alone sometimes.

These moments of introspection are necessary not only to relax, but also to reframe our priorities. and motivations and establish long-term plans, devise exciting projects, and other activities that we they can resist when the day-to-day work accumulates and we cannot get out of the inertia of the schedule labor.

The key to success in vacation rest lies in knowing how to find the balance between activities and hours spent with families or friends and the time we dedicate to rest ourselves doing those activities that we most they fill

• You may be interested: "23 hobbies to do at home and have fun"

4. Restrict the use of social networks

Vacations help us to rest for several days and relax, but they can also cause an increase in the hours in which we are connected to social networks of all kinds.

Everyone knows that social networks can have a very negative impact on users who spend too many hours connected to them, and can even lead to addiction. That's why, it is advisable to consider phases of digital “detoxification” that allow us to think beyond the massive bombardment of stimuli to which we are subjected to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.

5. explore new experiences

Exploring new experiences during the vacation period means do everything we can't or don't have time to do during the rest of the year.

Vacations allow us to disconnect and explore new places and experiences, something we can achieve by visiting places strangers from our own city or province, going on excursions in nature or traveling to new towns with charm.

• Related article: "Openness to Experience: What Does This Personality Trait Look Like?"

6. avoid comparisons

To be happy in life, it is best to avoid comparing ourselves with other people and avoid letting ourselves be carried away by social pressures and conventions that establish that a vacation must imply a great expense of money in travel exotic.

In this vacation period we must carry out those activities that fill us with truth and that make us happy, fleeing from social conventions and without comparing ourselves with the people around us or with influencers and celebrities.

7. Go to a psychologist if necessary

It is important to keep in mind that taking care of our mental health in summer is an option as valid and recommended as any other, and it will allow us to overcome those obstacles, problems or psychological alterations that prevent us from living our lives normally. In addition, the online therapy modality allows not to interrupt the psychotherapeutic process even if we travel to other countries.

In this sense, if you want to have professional psychological support, get in touch with us; in Psychology and Psychotherapy Miguel Ángel We will be able to serve you by putting at your service our experience of several decades in the sector.