Sometimes, it's OK to take on life solo. Summer is meant to be a time for you to get recharged, and reconnect with yourself a bit. Let's be honest, during the day, when you're staring at your screen and updating your planner, you may not feel so centered. You're racing to make the next meeting, and putting your passions aside for a paycheck. It's not until you disconnect and have some "me" time that you truly feel relaxed and realize what matters most. Here's what my first solo beach getaway taught me about relaxing that no other experience ever could. So, you should book a trip to be chilling under the palms, too.
Traveling solo might sound overwhelming at first — but hear me out. Yes, you'll be having lunch by the shore by yourself, and probably need to branch out and make a few new friends. But, you'll find that having your schedule be solely on your terms is exactly what you needed the most. You won't have to force conversation, and life will instantly be put into perspective by the sea. Can you feel the bliss, yet?
There's so much to be said for getting some peace of mind, and sometimes you have to leave behind your worries and the beach barbecues with your besties to truly get in touch with yourself. Relaxing isn't all about bubble baths or days at the spa, and my first solo beach getaway taught me these seven important lessons.
Sometimes, silence can feel so loud. But, when you're on your first beach getaway and doing it solo, you can actually learn to find a lot of comfort in it. You'll listen to the waves and let your worries wash away with the tides, and can start reconnecting with your surroundings a whole lot more. You'll have music playing through your headphones at times, but you should also just tune into the sounds around you, like people laughing or your feet walking through the sand. Nothing is more relaxing than being in the present.
The most valuable lesson you can learn in the modern world (in my personal opinion) is how to disconnect. It's key, especially when you're looking to get relaxed. Phones, laptops, cameras, and every electronic device in between keep us going and running in circles every day. Sometimes you just have to hit pause, and take a solo trip to the beach where there probably isn't WiFi.
When you're so focused on your social media apps and recreating moments for your followers, you're not relaxed. You're stressed about making life look like a travel blogger's every single day. Sure, you may be headed to the same destinations, but soak it in for yourself instead of for your feed.
We all need a little vitamin sea, especially in the summertime. But, soaking up the sun and all of its natural nutrients is actually incredibly good for your body and soul, too.
Personally, I'm so much more positive on sunny days. When the weather is warm, my mood totally shifts. Being on a solo trip means that nobody's negative energy can get in your way, and you can truly relax and take in everything good from the Earth. Be sure you still apply lots of sunscreen, though.
Relaxing for some of us can be as simple as a facial or a comfy hotel robe. But for others, it can mean an entirely new change in perspective. When you're looking out at the ocean, your problems truly become so small. You realize that the world is wide, and you've likely seen only a bit of it.
There's adventure and passion ahead of you, and the day-to-day drama that happens in the line at your local coffee shop doesn't mean much in comparison to it all. That shift in your mindset alone will bring you so much peace, and help you feel reenergized to take on what's next.
Sometimes, I think we get so stressed out and feel like we're stuck because we haven't changed our scenery enough. You may love having a routine. You'll wake up every morning and do the same sort of things, and be entirely content. That's OK, too, but taking a solo trip to the beach reminds you that it's good to get out in the world as much as possible.
You may find that your life gets even better once you've opened your heart and mind to oceans beyond your usual coast. Always challenge yourself to see and do more. After all, living is about creating a life for yourself, and not just existing in the every day.
Any solo trip will teach you to trust yourself. When you're navigating new roads and maybe even lines at the airport all on your own, you're sort of forced to follow your own two feet. You have to remind yourself that you're entirely capable of whatever life throws at you, and make decisions without anybody else's input. Once again, it may seem overwhelming, but in the long run, it's incredibly therapeutic.
Relaxation is really all about going with the flow, and I think it's quite clear why the ocean is the only one that can teach you that lesson. Even when you're on a solo trip at the beach and disconnecting from your usual world, you'll still run into situations where you have to just see what happens. You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and truly expect the unknown.
Especially in your 20s, when you're trying to figure everything out, a solo beach trip will teach you that the present is really all you need right now. The sun, surf, and sand will heal you, but taking that relaxing feeling beyond the ocean means learning some of these lessons.
