If you’re dreaming of a summer getaway, now’s the time to go! Whether you travel near or far, you’ll benefit in many ways from a change of scenery and change of pace. What matters most is getting a break from your usual routine by seeing and experiencing new things. 

Embrace the new

Foreign travel can broaden the mind and deepen learning and cross-cultural understanding. It’s good for us to see how differently things can be done in other cultures. Being in new situations and having to figure out things we take for granted at home can stretch our thinking. For example, navigating a new mode of transportation in a different language can enhance our problem-solving skills and mental agility.

But we can’t always manage to travel far away. Finding new sights and experiences close to home is also rewarding and can offer similar benefits. If you live in the city, a quick weekend getaway to the country (or vice versa) can shake up your perspective and provide a break from the usual routine.

Day trips can also provide a much-needed getaway, immersing you in a new environment. Explore a different borough, visit a park or museum you’ve never been to or hop on Metro North to a Hudson River town where you can wander and discover new things to see and do.

Give yourself permission

There will always be things on your to-do list, emails to return and errands to run. But it’s summer, a brief season where you can slow down, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy being outdoors in the natural world. Enjoy the simple pleasures, such as watching the evening sun turn everything golden before easing into darkening shades of indigo.

It’s important to give yourself permission to take a solid break when you can. You’ll reap the rewards by lowering your stress levels, preventing work burnout and improving your physical and mental health. Getaways can even improve your relationships by enhancing your patience and understanding. It’s all part of cultivating a greater sense of well-being, which will help once you return to work.

Find the joy

Take yourself outside, even to read a book in a scenic setting. Our homes contain all kinds of triggers for stress and reminders of work. Leave it all behind, take in your surroundings and try a mindful walk along a waterside park or beach. Breathe deeply and see, hear and feel yourself in the present moment.

What sparks your creativity? Thoughts for new projects may come to you as you walk. Whether you want to dance, paint, write or try a new endeavor, whatever your muse is, there are many ways to be creative, especially in the summer.

When you slow down and relax, you may discover a deep feeling of gratitude welling up inside you, a feeling described in the poem “Miracles” by Walt Whitman:

“As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods….
To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle….”