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

When I imagined my vacation, I envisioned spending every morning with a fresh fruit plate by the ocean. So to start my day, I chopped up all the fruit I had on hand, stirred together a pitcher of cucumber water, and carried my spread out into the sun.

I usually spend my days heating up the same cup of coffee about five times, so a cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice was a luxurious treat.

I knew that if I were on vacation, I would be eating until I physically couldn't move, so naturally, I had to replicate a multi-course meal at home.

Two of my close friends were supposed to take the trip with me, so I had to include them as best I could under social distancing rules. The CDC recommends staying 6 feet apart from others, so I had my friend Sophie come over to vacation with me from a safe distance, and then we called our other friend, Vanessa, to include her in the day.

Since I've been spending so much time at home, cooking has started to lose its spark. On vacation, I would have avoided all the work and cleanup, so I'll admit that putting together a full breakfast spread at home did not match up to being on vacation.

However, once I sat down under the sun to dig in and catch up with my friends, the feeling of relaxation started to creep in.

Listening to the sound of ocean waves crashing to shore actually helped me escape my reality, even for just an hour or two.

While on vacation I planned to disconnect from reality and not dwell on the news for a couple of days, so I tried to replicate this feeling at home. I picked up a good book, made myself a cocktail, and allowed the sound of virtual waves help me detach from the present for a bit.

The video obviously wasn't identical to being on the beach, but it did help me relax and focus my attention on what was in front of me.

Whether I was breathing in the smell of saltwater or grass, spending time moving my body outside felt really good and helped me release any tension from the week.

If I were on vacation, I imagine I would be able to carve out a section of the beach to myself for a couple moments of peace and quiet, but finding silence is much more difficult when I am home. However, once I got past the noise, it still felt worthwhile to take a few deep breaths of fresh air.

I figured I could recreate a little self-care with what I had at home.

Even though I had to cancel my vacation, I was fortunate to be able to recreate bits and pieces at my home. A large portion of my excitement for the trip was the chance to spend time with my close friends, so to have them with me both in person and virtually already helped the day feel more like a break.

I'll admit, creating an at-home beach day required a decent amount of work, but taking the time to switch up my routine and spend time outside gave me the relaxation I definitely needed.

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