I had to cancel my beach vacation, so I recreated one in my backyard and it gave me a day of much-needed relaxation

I put together a tropical breakfast spread to help transport me to a beachside cafe.Caroline Fox/Insider

• In January, my close friends and I took advantage of a cheap flight deal and booked a week-long trip to the Caribbean for the end of March.
• The trip ended up coinciding with the beginning of closures and travel restrictions across the US, so we decided to cancel the plan.
• After spending more than a month working from home, I was in desperate need of relaxation and decided to recreate a day at the beach in my backyard.
• While recreating a tropical vacation at home wasn't easy, spending time in the sunshine worked wonders for my mood.

It felt a little too good to be true when my close friends and I booked an absurdly cheap, round-trip flight to the Caribbean in January. The plan was to escape New York City in late March and give ourselves a week on the beach to do nothing but relax.

But starting in mid-March, New York City began to gradually shut down, and travel restrictions were put into place. After debating how bad it really would be to get stuck in the Caribbean for a couple of months, we decided to play it safe and we canceled the trip.

Since the New York City lockdown, I've been working from home and have been craving some relaxation time. So I decided to give myself an at-home "vacation" and recreate a day at the beach in my backyard. Here's how I did it.