5 Top Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday

The summer holidays are just around the corner, and people all over the UK are looking forward to escaping normality for a short spell of time. We don’t generally have a lot of quality time off to enjoy with our friends and family, and we want to make all the right decisions to ensure an incredible holiday. However, all too often people forget to take into account what they, rather than what other people, want out of their own downtime.

Taking time for yourself is vital, especially given that we’re living in an increasingly stressed world. Young people are feeling all sorts of pressures and strains and even the older generation agree that life today is far more stressful today than it ever was before. Taking care of ourselves and prioritising our own mental health is critical to our overall happiness and success. But how can you ensure a relaxing, peaceful and rewarding holiday this summer?

Carefully select your holiday destination

We are lucky enough to live on an incredibly interesting and varied island. Where you go and what you do will depend entirely on what kind of person you are and where your interests lie. Many decide that a self-catered cottage holiday getaway is ideal for them, as they allow for a high degree of personalisation. An old English cottage is arguably the perfect place to relax, unwind and recuperate.

Pick the right travel companions

It is easy for holidays to start to feel like obligations. You might want to visit the coast, but you feel you should spend time with a friend who hates the feel of sand between her toes. You might want to go on a hiking holiday, but you’re feeling guilty that you haven’t visited your grandparents in a while. Separate yourself from this pressure and realise that this is your hard-earned downtime. You have the freedom to do with it as you wish.

Who do you really want to travel with? Are you eager for a family holiday? Do you want to take your pet along? Do you just want a few days all by yourself? There is no shame in making decisions to suit your own needs. You might feel altruistic by relenting and spending time with certain people, but chances are that you will simply get increasingly stressed and ultimately be a less-than-ideal holiday companion.

Consider leaving your electronics at home

When was the last time you went an entire day without checking your favourite social media site? In fact, when was the last time you went two hours without staring at some sort of screen? Although electronics have many obvious benefits, the reality is, our brains have not evolved to be compatible with technology and as such, overuse provides a whole host of negative side-effects.

We can’t avoid technology during our work lives, but for a few days out of the year, challenge yourself to keep away from your phone, laptop, tablet and TV. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel, how the stress drains away and how your sleep improves. If nothing else, avoid workplace emails. Checking work emails means that you are not truly psychologically breaking from your workplace responsibilities.

Realise not everything will go to plan

With such limited downtime, you might be feeling the pressure to make your holiday perfect. You want everyone to have a great time, you want everything to go to plan and you want the holiday to be one to remember forever. That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of one person.

To save yourself stress and needless fretting, make peace with the fact that your holiday will not be perfect. Things will go wrong. You’re not in control of everything. The sooner you embrace this reality, the happier you will be and the better equipped you’ll be to take changes in your stride. Just because your holiday isn’t 100% reflective of what you envisioned, this doesn’t mean you won’t have a great time regardless.

Get plenty of sleep and rest

Sleep is integral to our health in a number of ways, but how many of us actually get our recommended eight hours a night? In our everyday lives, we have pressures and responsibilities that keep up from lie-ins or early nights. We have electronic screens casting blue light, which actively keep our brains working, and we use them late into the night.

If you’ve been noticing that you’re not getting good quality sleep, it is very likely to be the result of your daily and nightly routines. Thankfully, we have more time on holidays to cast off responsibility and catch up on our sleep. Let your natural sleeping patterns reset and don’t feel pressured to wake up early every morning to ‘make the most’ of your holiday. Sleeping isn’t a result of laziness; it is our bodies telling us that they’re desperate to repair and renew, making us better able to cope with stress during our waking hours.

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