Why You Need a Staycation (+ how to take a really good one)

Greetings from the day after a glorious staycation. What the eff is a staycation, might you ask? Well a staycation (according to me at least) is when you pretend you’re somewhere exotic vacationing, but really you just stay in your hometown.

Even though I’m working sporadically and from home these days, I’ve been doing my best to stay super productive. Every day has been filled with some combination of running errands, doctors appointments, blogging, working on social media strategy, phone calls I don’t really want to make– I spent an hour on the phone with my credit card company last week, planning out Holistic Happening stuff (are you coming to next month’s event!?) and answering emails.

I log a lot of hours in front of my beloved laptop and trusty iPhone.

One of the things I really love about vacation is that I disconnect big time because either I’m forced to thanks to roaming fees or I’m so engrossed in whatever other fun I’m having.

But disconnecting during every day life is HARD! Obviously I love social media (thanks instagram stories for adding yet another social media addiction into the mix) but all that staring at a screen, texting, ‘graming and sorting through my always overflowing inbox makes my eyes start to glaze over. I really needed a guilt-free day to just chill and not stare at a screen.

When I realized I had no phone calls, meetings, appointments or anything else planned for yesterday, a rarity even in my current job situation, I decided to take full advantage of that and keep my schedule clear. My only real plan for the day was to hit up The Bar Method and then spend the rest of the day reading by the pool and swimming.

 

You (yes, YOU!) Need a Staycation.

As cheesy as it sounds, giving myself permission to do whatever the eff I wanted all day, guilt-free, was really quite amazing. As I left The Bar Method I was filled with this sense of joy and excitement regarding the staycation I had essentially invented for myself.

Instead of walking straight home, I took the long way home, wandered around Sephora and Barnes + Noble for a bit before heading home. I ordered sushi from my absolute favorite place and then headed over to my parent’s apartment for an afternoon of reading and swimming. Yes, I feel fortunate to have this pool at my disposal.

The day wasn’t anything particularly special, but I’m telling you it was that permission to follow my impulses, do what I want and turn my phone on silent for the day that felt real good. And I finished the book I was reading in the process.

 

Some NYC Staycation Ideas

Keep the computer closed all day. It sounds super simple, but for me that would be super hard. Weekdays, weekends, holidays, I’m obsessively checking my email and Facebook.

Go with the flow. Follow your impulses for a day. Do you want to window shopping in Soho? Do it. Do you want to sit around in Washington Square Park people watching? Do it. Do you want to spend all day reading a really trashy but pretty enjoyable book on a rooftop? Do it. These are things I could be doing every day, but are always attached with this icky guilty feeling that there’s something else I should be doing,

Give yourself the freedom to follow those impulses and banish the guilt.

Governor’s Island. I’ve professed my love for Governor’s Island a few times and cannot recommend visiting this NYC treasure enough. Every time I’ve been, I’m always so happy I went. I highly recommend renting bikes for a few hours and bringing a picnic to enjoy on the huge lawns.

Coney Island. Ever since I went earlier this summer, I can’t stop talking about Coney Island. If you’re looking for a beachy staycation and an escape from the oppressive heat, look no further. There’s something so amazing to me about the fact that there’s this beach and boardwalk only a subway ride way.

Day of Wellness. My friend Leslie outlined an awesome day devoted to wellness in NYC. I really want to try the infrared sauna.

 

Question: Have you ever taken a staycation?