Don’t you ever feel busier before a vacation? There seems to be a ton of things you need to get done before you can forget about reality and just enjoy life.
I went on a four-day vacation to a beach-front hotel with my parents and I’ve come to realize that vacations might not be for me anymore (at this point in my life at least).
Pre-vacation Syndrome
Before we could even think about getting on the plane, there was suddenly a bunch of stuff we all wanted to get done so we didn’t have to do them when we got back. Or so that we didn’t have to think about them when we got there.
It was pre-vacation syndrome. I got so stressed with the ginormous list of stuff I had to get done before vacation that I even broke down.
Travel-stress Syndrome
After getting those things done, we all still had to think about the “getting there” a.k.a travel-stress syndrome.
Traveling can be such a pain even if you did plan everything out from checking in the baggage to cutting out the time it takes to go to the bathroom.
Okay so then you get on the plane and now, now you can finally rest…
not
The three-hour flight was too short for a rest and besides, you’re squished like sardines on the plane anyway.
Okay so you get to the airport and get the cab and get to the hotel, so finally you can rest?
Bodily Needs
Or so you think. What I call “bodily needs” (going to the bathroom, feeling hungry, etc) start bugging you and you have to think about what you wanna eat for dinner or are you going to worry about packing on the calories? And drinkers have to think how much drink they’re gonna treat themselves to.
Too many restaurant choices and too many buffets can overwhelm you and that can bring stress. Sometimes it’s even good to have as few choices as possible I think. Especially if you are one of those indecisive people.
Then you eat and now, okay, now you can finally get that much-needed rest, right?
Somewhat. You still have to decide what time you’ll be up so you can get breakfast. Also, what are you gonna do tonight? Go to the gift shops? But then what will you have left to do the next 3 days? Nothing. So it’s best to spread out the activities.
I just played games on my phone and watched TV to keep myself awake so I could go to bed at my usual time.
Otherwise my entire sleep-schedule will be messed up when I get home. And it can take me up to two weeks to get back on schedule. (Yes, I have very low discipline in terms of sleep schedule).
Got rid of stress?
Not really. I feel like being lazy actually stressed me out because I felt like I should be getting things done. The humidity definitely did not help because I’m sensitive to heat and it made me feel a little sick until it cooled down in the evenings.
Post-vacation Syndrome
And going home was no better because it was travel-stress syndrome all over again on top of post-vacation syndrome where you’ve now come home to a bunch of unfinished tasks that you just couldn’t get done pre-vacation.
Vacation Results
- The ocean was pretty.
- Watched a dancing show live.
- Watched TV (at home we don’t have TV. Just a TV to watch DVDs.)
- Did not feel less stressed than when I left home.
- Will not vacation for a while. At least not to a humid place.
FOXWOOD FOREST 