All of us are under a fair amount of stress these days with overbooked schedules, if you have children (that in itself is enough), shuffling the kids back and forth to their many activities, and just the economy alone is enough to make us run screaming from the house in desperation. Why not book a Beach Vacation instead.

Just think of it.... Leaving the stress of the office and crazy family schedules behind. Take a nice deep breath and just imagine the peace and tranquility that awaits you once you get to your beach destination. Hmmmmmm

Of course we have one more little stressful situation before we can head out for a wonderful vacation at the beach.  We need to pack up everything we want to take and then pack up the car for a road trip.  But in reality it is so worth the last little bit of potential hassle to be able to go enjoy a either a long weekend or an actual whole week off for your beach vacation.

Let's just put a few things into perspective here. Getting away for a even a weekend can rejuvenate us. Think of the benefits:

• Able to disconnect from electricity of the office.
• Getting away from the unflattering fluorescent lighting.
• Away from our computers (leave it at home, your laptop doesn't need to be at the beach playing in the sand).
• Able to get away from the feeling of being in a box all day, whether or not you are in a cubicle at work or in an office with a door that closes.
• Getting away from the noise pollution of the office such as the constant ringing of office telephones, the hum of your desk computer, the noise of the copy machine, the sounds of the footsteps of people walking around on hard surface flooring, the muffled voices of coworkers.

We need to get out into the vast openness of nature and what better place to accomplish that than hanging out at the beach. We all need the sounds of nature, not the constant background chatter of people and machines!

While you are at the beach, a myriad of wonderful things start happening to you. Notice how the air feels, slightly salty, refreshingly warm, and undeniably fresh. Definitely not city air. Nothing compares to the fresh smell of beach air. Walking along the beach is also very beneficial for you. Slow gentle walking, stopping to look at the variety of things and shapes on the water's edge wondering what they are and where did they come from. If you haven't ever noticed all of the interesting object on the beach, stop and do that this time, kind of like stop and smell the roses, but stop and wonder at the items on the beach. Wonder where they started their journey, granted, in the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter, but in stopping and wondering we are effectively slowing down our fast paced life for just a little bit.

 

Being near the water surrounds us with negative ions, which we need more of. Negative ions are invisible molecules that we breathe in whenever we are near water whether it be near the beach, right after a thunderstorm, or near a waterfall. If you wonder where they are in abundance, and easily accessible, think about going to the beach. Negative ions are thought to manufacture biochemical reactions that change our levels of serotonin, which in turn helps reduce the stress in our bodies and helps us to get in a better mood! Our better mood sometimes translates into childlike fun and adventure.

 

Speaking of childlike fun, have you ever been to the beach where you didn't squish your toes around in the wet sand? I haven't. It always ruins my pedicure but I don't even care, it feels so good. It feels so good to let the pulsations of the water and wet sand massage my feet. It even helps reduce the buildup of my calluses if I move my feet even just a little. LOL.

After enjoying that for a while then it is time to play in the sand and see what I can build. Once again fading back to the fun I had as a child, I pack sand in plastic buckets and cups, only letting my mind wander to what kind of fantasy creation I can make. If you forgot to bring tools with you, all of the souvenir shops at the beach will carry fairly cheap plastic sandcastle building tools. One of my favorite toppers for any type of sand creation is the wet sand drizzled on to the top of it. It gets kinda good to me after a while. It is very mesmerizing. Some people have taken it to the extreme and really created some gravity defying sculptures.

All in all, the benefits of a beach vacation outweigh any of the hassle of trying to get there. The packing, the travel whether by car or by air and packing the car, making sure you brought everything etc. Really what more do you need than some shorts, t-shirts, bathing suit, cover-up, beach shoes, beach chairs, etc. Oh and let's not forget the sunscreen and a camera to capture those fun times so that we can look back on the photo and be transported back even if just for a few moments during our normal hectic daily lives.

Remember that this is a special time to reconnect with your family and/or friends and to enjoy the wonders of nature. After all what is better than going on a vacation where you can get your batteries recharged (negative ions), be surrounded by the vastness of Mother Nature, and all of the other benefits of being outdoors, being able to play like a little kid and no one look at you funny because they are doing the same things and last but not least, just slowing down and noticing the world around you and all of its glory is worth the price of admission. We deserve these things and so do the members of our family. Life is short enough, go enjoy, spend some time on a wonderful beach vacation and enjoy the benefits that nature has to offer.  Kick off your shoes and go wiggle your toes in the sand.