Winter Wellness: Getaway Style
Unfortunately, sometimes the burnout from work stress gives you the powerful reminder that taking a break from everyday life is essential for your wellbeing (we learned that lesson the hard way last year). Although we try to make the best of winter, as summer-lovers, sometimes we just need a little getaway. My fiance and I hadn’t taken a vacation just the two of us in over a year. We knew we wanted to get away during the winter, around his birthday, and were ready to trade in the winter blues for some island blues. JC had been on a family vacation to Turks and Caicos a few years back, and fell in love with it. With flights at an affordable rate the first week of December, and the resort 40% off, it was a no brainer for us to book it.
I cherish what I like to call “Winter Escapes” because I truly feel like the sunshine recharges my soul and reinvigorates my spirit (anyone else feel the same?) Although I’ve only been two winter escapes, I can say with certainty, they are well worth it.
With travel on the brain, Kit and I designed and released a Travel Wellness Episode where we discuss how to keep up with all your daily routines while you're away from home, and give some ideas to help you feel balanced and like yourself no matter where you are! Check it out for more details on how to stay hydrated, anti-anxiety tips to leave you feeling calm, and on-the-go routine tips to help you feel in control.
Pre-Trip Ritual
Not unlike in coaching and on the podcast, JC and I like to set intentions before we take a vacation. It helps us stay centered, connected to self and in alignment with our wellness goals. This trip, our collective intention was to get some rest and rejuvenation. This meant taking a break from responsibilities, engaging our creativity and playful sides by trying new experiences, and a trip to the spa of course. Another intention we had was to read for fun! This one is big for me, as 90% of my book collection is self-help admittedly. It was a relief to be able to dive into a fictional world and forget about daily responsibilities and bettering myself. It’s healthy to take a break from any numbing patterns we might have at home like over-watching tv for example) and replace it with an activity like reading or a hobby.
Let The Vacay Commence!
I started the trip with some journaling on the plane. I hadn’t journaled in a while, and filled up my last notebook so this was a nice opportunity to start fresh with a new journal. For me, journaling looks different every time I sit down with the pen (or colorful marker) and it can look different for you too! That’s the beauty of it, the simple act of writing (or doodling) something down helps our brain process thoughts & emotions.
The property, The Palms was wonderful. The staff was incredible, super friendly and welcoming, the views of turquoise waters and blue sky were unbeatable. The resort had everything you could need. Free bikes to bike into town (one morning we went to “LMN 2 GO” a healthy coffee and smoothie shop), a shuttle to their sister resort called “The Shore Club” where we grabbed a delicious sushi dinner, a store with sunscreen, over the counter medicine, wine, and snacks, and a boutique. Our room had FREE espresso (such a highlight for me) and a beautiful balcony where you could peer at the ocean, absorb the sunsets, and stargaze.
My Wellness Wheel
NUTRITION: Now I will say, we gave ourselves a break with this. For once, we didn’t limit ourselves or overthink anything. While I did stay on my (gf/df) regimen (if you’re curious, learn more about my health journey on Episode 82), we didn’t skip dessert, or count the frozen daiquiris. And with that being said, I will say this trip was particularly “boozy”. How could we resist, fresh pinacoladas being delivered to our lounge chairs on the beach! We let ourselves off the hook when it came to healthy eating and honestly it was quite freeing. Some of our fave spots we dined as include: Hemingway’s for beach-front breakfast, Provence for fine dining (great date night spot), Bay Bistro, and last but not least, the iconic Conch Shack (live music and dancing!)
SLEEP: I will say, I naturally woke up to a beautiful, rainbow sorbet sunrise many times and still got great sleep. (Sleep cycle on vacation: something Kit mentions in our Travel episode). There’s something about the energy of being on vacation that we attribute to the good sleep you get. Love it!
ADVENTURE: My fiance is certainly more adventurous than I. On top of going scuba diving one day (a solo escapade), we also went on a snorkel excursion (through a fun company Caicos Dream Tours) I will admit, my fear of open ocean (and the creatures that lurk and live there) almost stopped me from participating. Much more on Anti-Anxiety can be found on our podcast, “How To Stop Worrying”, “Get in Character For The Life You Want”, “Overcoming Anxiety” to name a few). This outing gave me an opportunity to practice some tools I will share with you! When dealing with fear, we need to move TOWARDS it (ugh, I know.) We need to look at fear in the face, and acknowledge it’s presence, talk to ourselves like a coach and say “I am scared of _____ and I am doing it anyway”. Once we continue to practice this, our magical and fantastic brain is going to create new neurological pathways that are going to help us build confidence by remembering “I’ve faced fear before, I did it, and I made it out alive.” This was a big learning day for me, and after some island rum punch and self talk, I was able to move through fear.
MINDFULNESS: Something that JC love to do on vacation, is meditate together every morning (we used the app CALM). It’s a great way to start each day, especially on vacation because you have no excuse to make time for it. ;) We also made time for mindfulness by simply sitting together and watching the sunsets - I did have to at least sometimes, grab my phone in an attempt to capture the sky’s magic, but for the most part we did this activity phone-less. We also spent time star-gazing, something us city-dwellers are rarely afforded. That was magic in itself, simply observing the night’s sky.
Conclusion
Turks and Caicos is an incredible island, with endless beauty, wonderful people, and activities for every type of person. East Coasters and Mid Westerners, have you done a Winter Wellness check on yourself? Do you have plans to take a break and unwind from the pressures of life even just for a day or two? Remember that making time for yourself and for your body and mind to relax, is not selfish or irresponsible, but quite the opposite. It is vital for your wellbeing.
Sending you PEACE, LOVE, & LIGHT! Xo
