On a mini vacation in Palm Springs. It was 115 degrees today. What do you do in Palm Springs, in the summer, when it’s 115 degrees? Well, the sane half of the area’s residents leave town: many shops and restaurants are closed during the summer low-season. The rest of us sit by the pool.
This isn’t my typical vacation. Those usually involve sightseeing, or scuba diving, or something. Not just lying next to a hole filled with chlorinated water while some guy in a blue shirt and khaki’s brings you $15 daiquiris. Life could definitely be worse, don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t exactly my idea of relaxing.
The problem, I’ve discovered, is that all I can think about when lounging around the pool is all the shit I could be getting done. My mind isn’t relaxing at all. Worse, my brain seems convinced that I’m actively wasting time. I start to get fixated on all of the things I could be doing, which creates stress rather than relieves it. This is why my typical vacations involve doing or learning something. If I’m playing tennis or learning how to dive, my brain is fully occupied: there’s no room to think about the shit I could be getting done.
I’m sure this is a problem for other people. I’m guessing it’s why my parents never took us on this type of lay-around vacations. Their brains don’t stop nagging them either.
But other people, people I care about, like these types of vacations, and do find them relaxing. So we’re here. But it sure would be nice to figure out how to turn that part of my brain off.
While I do that, the best advice I can give is to come prepared. Bring the thing you won’t stop thinking about, if you’re going somewhere you can get some work done. Audiobooks are fantastic if you’re forced to sit/lay somewhere for extended periods of time. Books can obviously occupy your time as well.
But the best option is to find flexible people. It’s a joy to be with someone who is happy to let you work while they lounge, or let you explore while they spa, or let you play tennis while they shop. Find people who are comfortable enough with themselves that they don’t need constant attention, or to exercise control, or to “win” every time.
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