Take A Break!

You don’t have to book a fabulous vacation to tap into a real sense of R&R. Grab our list of easy ideas for unwinding, choose what suits you, and make the most of the day(s) you wish to kick back.

- Hallie Levine

Soak Up the Sunlight

If you have more hours in the day, make good use of those extra rays!

Eat lunch alfresco It can change the feeling of a meal entirely, and there’s no need for it to be a hassle. Throw a casual cloth over the table and load everyone’s dishes on a sturdy tray, so that you can carry everything out and back again in a single trip.

Host a happy hour There’s nothing more relaxing than hanging out with friends on a Friday evening as the sun sinks and the children ride around the place on their bikes. But we often get hung up on the formalities of throwing a party. Let all that go. Just declare your garden or your terrace the Friday happy hour spot, and invite friends to join. Or start your own ‘first Friday’ tradition. E-mail everyone a calendar reminder that your home is open for stop-by-and-hang-out time every first Friday, BYOB.

Go for a walk And make it the leisurely kind. It’s the perfect thing to do before you start winding down for bed, says Kirkland Shave, a wilderness skills instructor, life coach, and programme director at Mountain Trek, a health- and hiking- based fitness retreat programme in the US. Here’s why: Being active in the evening helps lower your blood sugar levels, which in turn helps slow down brain activity. How is that good, you ask? You will be able to fall asleep faster as well as be able to sleep more soundly.

Get Away Without Going Away

Finally, you have time to chill at home. And we see you reaching for that to-do list. HOLD, please. Put the list right back in that junk drawer. If your staycation is all about catching up, it’s not much of a break. Try these brilliant ideas so that you get some ‘cation’ with your stay.

Shake it up