Summer vacation arrives and our hub becomes Cape Cod. The natural beauty of 560 miles of coastline provides endless opportunities for beaching, boating, exploring, and relaxing family time. An added bonus is that friends from all over the country vacation here as well. It becomes a time to reconnect, introduce generations, and an opportunity for impromptu getaways. A childhood friend has a home on Martha’s Vineyard and she was on-island, kidless. Would I be interested in heading over for the night?! Within one minute, my ferry was booked!
I typically don’t plan mini-vacations with friends. Life is busy and at times, it seems like more of a hassle to plan all that would be needed for me to make it happen. But this is my year of trying to Simply Better myself. And guess what? Trips with friends can actually boost your overall health. In the Mayo Clinic’s Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health, there are 5 main reasons to hang out with your friends:
- Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
- Boost your happiness and reduce your stress
- Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
- Help you cope with traumas
- Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits
And quite honestly, the laughter, reminiscing, and joy that emerge from just being alone with a friend makes it worthwhile too. So, next time a friend asks to go away, do it for your health!
https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/girls-trips-really-are-good-your-health
the Essentialist Family 