Grana white linen shirt (10% off with JAMIExGRANA – I also like this option), Wrangler denim mini skirt (I also love this one), Sportscraft straw hat (old but this is a lovely alternative, as is this option)
I’m what I would call an ‘active relaxer’; my idea of unwinding usually involves editing photos, fussing about the house, or whipping up some little jobs to do. Basically, I don’t know how to sit still. My mind is always buzzing, thinking of the next project that I can work on, whether it’s something personal, something work-related, or an idea I’ve come up with for my blog or YouTube channel. Even as a kid, I used to spend a lot of my free time drawing comics or making pet care guides, helping my grandparents out in their veggie patch, or attempting to sew outfits for my Barbie dolls. So when it comes to holidays, this same kind of mindset usually seems to prevail.
Most of the holidays that I’ve taken with Luke have usually been to places like Europe or the USA, where a jam-packed itinerary (that I’ve planned out months in advance), has dictated our daily schedules – like that saying goes, there’s no rest for the wicked. The Maldives however, was a location that we not only picked as our honeymoon destination for its serene beauty, but also as it was a place where we would have nothing on the agenda to do other than to essentially relax.
But even the anticipation of a trip to the Maldives can’t get the cogs in my brain to slow down and shift gears, so I wanted to share four tips that I have to get myself into ‘relaxation mode’…
1. Block out some time to get it off your mind
We might have been in the Maldives – or as I referred to it during our entire trip, ‘paradise’ – but I still found it really difficult to switch off. In the back of my head, I’d be thinking about emails I needed to respond to, photos I wanted to get edited, video descriptions which needed writing, blog posts I’d been planning and upcoming campaigns I’m working on. I’m the kind of person that tends to run things over and over in their mind – I’ll replay a scenario multiple times and fuss over minute detail – which is a habit I can’t seem to shake no matter how hard I try (if you have any secrets, please do share!). I tend to be a little bit hard on myself (perhaps this comes with working essentially two full-time jobs), so rather than drive myself – and Luke – crazy, I set aside a couple of 15-20 minutes pockets each day to run through some of the things I wanted to get done. While admittedly you could argue that these things weren’t ‘essential’, it kept me from thinking about a growing to-do list I’d otherwise be flying home to.
2. Live in the moment
Perhaps the most cliche suggestion, but live in the moment. Take in the scenery, absorb the atmosphere, and enjoy being somewhere new (or even somewhere familiar). This is the way that you’ll make memories that you’ll treasure for years to come; whether it’s something as simple as enjoying a beautiful red wine on the beach while listening to the waves lap up against the sand, or in my case, the joy from spotting the hundreds of fish and baby reef sharks that would swim around our over water villa, it’s these small experiences that can make somewhere special seem even more magical. And remember, you’re on holiday.
3. Try something new
I’m definitely a summer baby at heart, but I’ve never been the type who could spend an entire afternoon lying in the sun. As I’ve alluded, I have a relatively active mind, so while I can relax to a degree, I never switch off entirely. I certainly lapped up as much sunshine as I could while we were in the Maldives, however I found that it really helped to break up our day with new experiences. While I’m planning to talk through our entire trip in further detail in an upcoming blog post (which will accompany a Maldives vlog!), two of the really unique experiences we had during our trip included cocktails at the world’s first underwater sea restaurant, Ithaa, and a snorkelling trip where we saw not one, but two(!!), whale sharks. Not only did I find myself looking forward to these activities, but I found myself reflecting on the magical nature of these incredible experiences, both of which I know I’ll be talking about for years to come.
4. Indulge in a spa treatment
Finally, if those tips don’t help you to unwind, indulging in a spa treatment or two is always a fail safe road to relaxation. I booked in a couple of spa treatments while we were staying at the Conrad Rangali Island, including an Indigenous Maldivian Massage and a Tri-Enzyme Elemis Facial at their Spa Retreat. I don’t tend to visit the spa much at all at home in Sydney, so for me, this is a bit of a luxury, and one that had me leaving feeling very zen.
What do you to do to relax when you’re taking a holiday? x
