Schedule Yourself a Becation

becationMy family and I never really took a vacation when I was growing up. We never had money for that sort of thing. But we did take little day trips here and there, and sometimes visited out-of-town relatives for a weekend at a time, and I know that even those took plenty of time and energy—especially for my mom—to arrange and prepare for. I can only imagine what it’s like to prepare a week-long stay somewhere.

Lately, the fad has been to have a “staycation” instead—where you take your vacation from work and just stay home, relaxing, maybe playing tourist a little around your own hometown or area, and simply not working. I’ve done a few of these myself—in fact, all of my vacations so far have been staycations—and I’ll vouch for how awesome they are.

So this concept of a “becation” sounds pretty interesting to me. A becation is a time you schedule just to connect with yourself. According to Care2.com’s Isha, it’s “time to listen to ourselves, to disconnect from the constant doings of daily life, and find the time to do nothing at all.”

For many of us who are used to going nonstop until we fall into bed at the end of our day, this is a very novel concept that may even prove to be hard to do. But it does sound like something that everyone should do—at least once in a while, and at least for a short amount of time.

I have a friend who attended a retreat where she was not allowed to speak, use her cellular phone, or plug into anything for a week. While this sounds amazing for some of us—and awful for others—she definitely got a lot out of the experience. Needless to say, you don’t have to go all out in order to have your own little becation. Here are a few ideas:

For a Long (A Few Days? A Week?) Becation…

* Slowly peruse a library or bookstore and check out some books and/or music to feed your soul over the week

* Schedule as much quiet time to be alone with your thoughts as you can

* Create a daily ritual of self-care—eat healthful meals that require minimal work, do a daily exercise practice, listen to some audio meditations or affirmations, take a bubble bath…

* Unplug for as long as you can—from the computer, the phone, the TV, everything

* Keep a journal and reflect in it throughout each day

For a Short (Hours? Minutes?) Becation…

* Read a passage from your favorite spiritual tome and let it sit with you

* Cut an hour from your normal TV or computer time

* Roll your neck and shoulders and just relax for a few moments

* Lie down or sit in a comfortable position and meditate for a few moments

* If nothing seems feasible, simply allow yourself to really be in the moment for as long as you can—whether you’re doing dishes, writing a report, or driving

My spouse and I have “me time” each week where one of us is alone for three hours, able to do what he or she wishes while the other has a “date night” with our daughter. Everyone gets to have fun. I normally use this time to read, watch a movie, or create art… I’m thinking of starting a becation ritual for at least one of my weekly me nights each month.

How about you? Is there any part of your week or month you could carve out for a becation?