Stress Less This Peak Booking Season

I know, we’ve all heard it: “Just relax.” But how can you relax when you’re busy rebooking that cruise (again), running the kids around from schools to sports to music lessons and trying to keep up-to-date with the latest changes in the travel industry in between it all?

Below are some helpful tips, courtesy of ALG Vacations, that you can utilize to learn how to spend your time relaxing more effectively, or even how to make that time for yourself.

How does one make time for fun in a busy world? One great way is to plan it with a concrete date. Penciling in time for fun and relaxation might at first seem like the opposite of fun, but you’ll begin to look forward to those break times.

Whether it be choosing a date for that well-deserved massage you get only once a year or finally going to the local botanical gardens with your boo like you’d “planned” for years, you’ll be making time for experiences away from your computer, and that in itself can make a world of difference.

Another great tip for relaxing is spending time out in nature. Okay, but I know what you’re going to say: how can we enjoy nature when nature is so cold? Even if it's a short walk with the family pet or a friend, getting out there and breathing in the fresh air, no matter how cold, can do wonders for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). When in doubt, do as the Scandinavians do! They’ve had to manage centuries of long, dark winters without going crazy, and staying active and outside, even during bad weather, is their way of doing it.

What about when your “me time” makes you more anxious than before? It could be because you’re spending too much time on social media during your breaks. Anxiety, “grass is greener” syndrome, depression and even eye strain can all be caused by too much Facebook or Instagram.

Try first measuring the minutes you spend scrolling through social media, then limit yourself to one day a week, or five minutes a day. Then spend your quiet time doing something truly beneficial, like reading in silence. I know, it sounds super intimidating, but you’ll soon grow to enjoy the quiet time.

The pandemic has altered many people’s work-life balance, and home-based travel agents and remote workers can trap themselves into thinking they need to respond to one more email or make one more phone call before the day is through...until they notice they’ve been working for twelve hours straight and forgot to eat lunch.

Be aware of the traps that you set for yourself, and be more intentional about how to dig yourself out of them. Whether that be setting an alarm each hour for you to get up and exercise or read, or changing your outfit into comfy clothes to remind yourself that your workday is done, these small things can help break those cycles of working nonstop when the commute isn’t there to help you do it.

Lastly, our final tip is to make small but positive changes to your life and your daily routines that make you happy. Whether it be getting into the habit of meal-planning each weekend to something as simple as making your bed more regularly or scheduling some time to organize your closets and drawers. Making such small changes can really improve your mindset, as well as decrease stress.