With work, school, and children up our sleeves and the weight of the world on our shoulders, it’s hard to step back, de-stress, and opt to take a vacation.
However, it’s important to keep in mind how rejuvenating a simple vacation or time off can do for us, our emotional state, our health, and even our oral health!
Oral health?
Yes, you read that correctly. What many fail to understand is that a vacation has incredible power to essentially heal our immune system. When we’re stressed, our immunity can become lower, increasing our risk of getting sick and even coming across oral health-related problems such as cavities, gum disease, and gingivitis, for instance.
We need our immunity to continue working hard, so our bodies can fight off bad bacteria and oral bacteria in our bodies.
Here are some affordable “vacations” or stress-free activities you can opt for on your days off you can enjoy:
- Go out for lunch with a group of great friends or family members, grab an ice cream, then head off to the movies to watch that new film you’ve been dying to see.
- To relieve stress quickly, head off to the beach, lay out in the sunshine, and focus on the sounds of the crashing waves and the sound of seagulls. Keep your mind off of all your worries and stresses.
- Get into gardening! If gardening isn’t your thing, you can opt to plant flowers in your yard or other beautiful plants to revamp your landscaping. A simple, beautiful change like this will bring positivity every time you look in your yard. You can think proudly to yourself, “I planted that!”
- If you have a dog, take your furry friend on a walk on a peaceful trail or a country road nearby. Exercising is great for your emotional and physical health, and you’re sure to get your mind off of things while enjoying the beautiful nature around you.
- Try something new in the kitchen. Opt for homemade muffins, a fruit smoothie, or even a delicious made-from-scratch pizza. Cooking can be calming, fun, and make you feel like you’ve achieved something you’ve taken a bite of your yummy creation.
- Go on a little road trip to a small, nearby city, exploring their little shops and cafes and whatever else they have to offer. You may very well find that small cities or towns have more than meets the eye!
- Switch up your bedroom by rearranging furniture and perhaps even adding a new decor item or two. This switch up may seem all for appearance, but in actuality, a change of environments can be playful for the mind, giving you a new sense of self and a positive set of emotions you haven’t felt in a long time.
- Make your day off a day to catch up on things. No, we’re not necessarily talking about doing the dishes, folding your laundry, or cleaning the litter box. Instead, focus on you and what you need to be happy. Opt for a manicure, pedicure, a facial, or a massage. Need a beard trim? Go for it. Need a haircut or new hairdo or even a root touch up? Get it done.