6 Surefire Signs You Need A Beach Vacation

As Robert Henri put so eloquently, “It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.” What is he talking about? Beach going.

Simple as that. And what’s so true for Robert Henri also applies to me, and many millions of others. That killer combo of a warm ocean breeze, a can’t-put-down-for -a-second book, a frozen beverage (hopefully with an umbrella in it if I’m lucky) and nothing but the sound of beachy silence just does it for me. It’s a place where my biggest decision is pina colada vs. margarita and one where the most logical and morally responsible decision is in fact to choose both.

My husband and I recently took off from the long hours of work and headed off for a beach trip to Mexico with eighteen of our closest friends (which was far more relaxing than it sounds). While there, I was reminded of why the beach brings my very soul back to life.

You may need to start scanning your favorite travel site for deals if any of these signs strike a chord with you:

• You’ve forgotten how to breathe. This may seem like an odd statement to some, but I’ve found that life has a way of carrying us away in the nitty gritty details of the daily grind. Whirring through your brain, you’ve got the urgent last minute request from your boss (deadline is close of business today of course), you’re playing part-time therapist to a friend in need and you’ve overcommitted yourself on the social side of the house because you’re trying to be ‘well rounded’. Before we know it, we realize we haven’t taken a deep breath since December, and it’s just not working out so well for us (or for our bodies) in the stress department. The importance of a good solid, deep to your core, in-through-the-nose-out-through-the-mouth kind of breath is so underrated in this world. Somehow, with the sweet smell of SPF 50 wafting through the air, I tend to slip back into the good habit of doing just that – subconsciously remembering how to breathe. 

• You checked Facebook 5 times in the last hour. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of all things social media (and I oddly know what my sixth grade boyfriend ate for dinner last night),  but if you’ve found yourself living vicariously through your pseudo friends’ relaxing vacation pics rather than doing the living yourself…it’s time to branch out and take a trip of your own. As backward as it sounds, one of my favorite things about traveling to an international destination like Mexico is that I can give myself the excuse to be unplugged for the duration of my time there. Shocking as it may be, I made it back to the States in one piece – even without the usual complete FB play-by-play. 

• Your car drove itself to work this morning. (Note: If you really have a car that can do this, tweet me. I’m totally interested.) I’m sure I’m not the only one who – after a while of working at the same place – has found that they get to work and realize that the details of such a daily routine have gone a bit blurry. In some ways, we’re going through the motions in certain aspects of our life and it’s time for a re-charge of sorts. When it hits you that you’re not actually being fully present in your day-to-day experiences with your friends, family and colleagues – it’s ok to admit you need to get away – even if only for a short couple of days. On our most recent beach trip, I made a point to pack my own blow up raft for floating in the waves. After utilizing the better part of half an hour and the majority of my lung capacity, I probably spent an hour by myself bobbing up and down with the ebb and flow.  It was a great reminder of what it means to be truly present in the moment. No distractions. Just being exactly where I was right at that very nanosecond.

Read the rest of this article on Glass Heel on Forbes.