We just got home from a seriously wonderful low-key, relaxing family vacation to Greenwich, CT to see my aunt & uncle (+ their kids) and my grandparents. Adam, Jack and I went with my parents and it was probably one of the best opportunities I’ve had to “reset” in a really long time. I knew I was getting to the point of burnout, but I didn’t realize how empty my cup actually was until we were on our trip. Here’s a little recap of our vacay, and some insight so you can determine whether or not it’s high time for YOU to unplug for a few days, too. Let’s jump into it.
Unplugged Family Vacation (+ Why You Desperately Need One)
We headed out Wednesday night to Greenwich and flew into Laguardia in NYC. Technically the White Plains airport is closer (15 min drive to Greenwich vs 40) – but Laguardia had a non-stop flight through Southwest and that’s who we prefer to fly with. My aunt had a driver pick us up so we didn’t have to taxi or Uber (especially because we didn’t get into NY until 11:30).
My parents headed with my grandparents to their house once we arrived in Greenwich and Adam and I put J to bed – we stayed with my Aunt – because nearly 1am is very much past our little boy’s bedtime. Luckily, he is the BEST traveler and was a champ the whole night. It took him a little longer to go down than usual because he was in an unfamiliar place, but he only struggled with that for the first night. To prep him to be as comfortable as possible, we made sure to bring his lovey, his blanket and his sound machine. My aunt had a pack n play ready for us so we didn’t have to travel with one (thank heavens – it’s always a logistical nightmare). We also packed our baby monitor (we have a Wyze but I don’t recommend it. We are looking for a new one for baby Noah) so that we could put him in his own room for naps and bedtime without us interrupting.
Our 4-day itinerary consisted of very little being planned out – which was hard for me. I am a planner and I like a full itinerary on a vacation. This time, however, I knew my family needed a break. Adam needed a break from work, I needed a break from work and J needed time to relax and play with all the people who loved him without worrying about full schedules. We visited my aunt’s horse farm to see “neigh-neighs”, goats, pigs and ponies. We shopped on The Avenue and bought Jack and Noah an absurd amount of darling clothes. We played a bunch of board games. We watched movies. We ordered takeout. We swam in their pool. We talked and caught up. Adam and I completely checked out of work emails + responsibilities. I had my phone out mostly just to take pictures, and do the occasional instastory.
RELATED POST: Greenwich, CT Travel Diary – Where to eat & What to do!
SHOP THIS CUTE SWIMSUIT HERE!
It was absolutely 100% what my little family needed to reset and get ready for the fall. I realized with a new baby on the way – we were getting dangerously close to burning out as a family and we needed this. I haven’t talked about it too much – but I was diagnosed with prenatal anxiety and depression a few weeks ago. It isn’t something I had with Jack (and I’ve never been diagnosed with either outside of pregnancy) so I’ve been having a hard time figuring out how to talk about it. I will definitely talk about it more in the future after I’ve met more with my therapist and OB, but I mention it to say that disconnecting and getaway allowed me to have the space to breathe and reset without any depressive episodes or anxiety attacks and I’m so grateful for that.
An unplugged getaway doesn’t have to be to another state. It can be down the road. Just disrupting your usual routine for a time and stepping away from your work with your partner/kids/both can be so cathartic for everyone. Letting go of the itineraries was so healthy for me. I set the intention before we left on our trip to just enjoy the family time and soak in the slow days, allow myself to be still and quiet and breathe. I returned from our trip SO joyful to continue working and creating without the pressure I felt before I left.
Here are some ways you can tell if it’s time for an unplugged family vacation or staycation:
- You are feeling anxious or distracted from your typical activites
- Social media / news is causing you stress.
- Phone notifications make you nervous.
- You are bickering / snapping at those around you.
- You aren’t able to “turn off” your mind to get solid rest and sleep at night.
- You wake up without feeling refreshed or excited to move forward with your day.
- You aren’t completing your to-do lists and it’s leaving you burnt out.
- Your daily tasks are running into each other.
Obviously, there are a lot of other ways this burn out can manifest in your life – but this is what I saw clearly for me (AND for my husband).
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
A family vacation getaway like this doesn’t have to be anything fancy as long as you disrupt your routine and reset your mind. I did a daily meditation on our trip and really focused on not scrolling on my phone at all. There was nothing more important and reconnecting with my family and getting grounded again so I can be my best back in my daily life.
