Going away on vacation is often an opportunity to explore new places and enjoy new experiences. It’s also a chance to take a much-needed break from your work.
As a result, you often come back from vacation with a fresher perspective on your business and amped up motivation levels. At least, that’s been my experience. And according to Emory University researcher Gregory Berns in his book Iconoclast, “epiphanies rarely occur in familiar surroundings”
But what about when you can’t get away? What if your time off is limited and, like so many of us, you aren’t able to travel?
Are there other things you can do to freshen your perspective when vacationing isn’t an option? I believe there are. Here are my five simple tips for getting the brain benefits of a vacation when you can’t get away.
1. Step away from what has you stumped
My natural tendency in the face of a problem I can’t crack is to stubbornly dig my heels in and keep at it. But sometimes, that tenacity can backfire and leave me strung out and defeated. Or at best, I risk settling for a mediocre solution.
If you’ve ever had an epiphany while on vacation, part of the reason may have been that you needed a little distance from a problem in order to solve it. You were just too close to it.
Instead of trying to power through, step away. Do something else or, if you can, take a break from work altogether. By the time you return to the problem, you may find that your thinking has crystallized.
2. Catch the Alpha wave
Your brain produces Alpha waves when you’re feeling relatively relaxed and you’re not focusing too heavily on any one thing. Studies have shown that stimulating those Alpha brainwaves can help you think creatively by inhibiting more obvious thought patterns.
As an added bonus, Alpha brain activity can also help you reduce stress and anxiety.
How can you induce Alpha wave thinking? By engaging in activities that partially engage your brain without taxing it. Here are a few things you can try to get into your Alpha zone:
- Meditate
- Practice yoga
- Take a bath
- Take a walk
- Do some aerobic exercise (e.g. go for a run or bike ride)
Side note: Did you know that Einstein actually came up with the Theory of Relativity while riding his bike?
- Sketch or paint
- Work on a jigsaw puzzle
3. Stimulate your senses
One of the reasons your vacations are so beneficial is that they stimulate your senses in new ways. Studies have suggested that sensory stimulation can subconsciously impact our creative and analytical thinking.
The good news is that you don’t have to travel anywhere or take a week off to stimulate your senses. Here are a few ways to engage your senses when you’re stuck at home or nearby:
Sight
- Drive to a scenic part of town
- Sit in a park
- Browse online galleries or the Instagram feeds of artists
Smell
- Smell your food and drink (mmmm coffeeeee) before you consume them
- Light a scented candle or incense
- Wear a different perfume
- Play around with essential oils
- Visit a botanical garden
Sound
- Listen to music you’ve never heard before, or that you used to listen to at a creative time in your life
- Search YouTube and Spotify for creativity boosting music
- Go sit in a park, close your eyes and see how many ambient sounds you can identify
Taste
- Practice slower, mindful eating
- Add variety to your diet and explore new flavours
- Eat fresh, brain-healthy foods to stimulate your creativity
- Stay away from processed foods which can make your thinking sluggish
Touch
- Buy a new item of clothing that feels good on your skin
- Cuddle your fur baby, if you have one
- Sit outside and feel the wind on your face
- Get a massage
4. Read, read, read
Reading is helpful for stimulating your creativity and for looking at old problems in new ways. That is especially true if you make a point of exploring different genres.
For example, if you’re used to reading fiction all the time, why not try to find an inspiring biography? If you only ever read non-fiction, try fiction for a change. You might even want to read a book about creativity. You’ll find a variety of them here. Right now, I am reading Jim Kwik’s Limitless, and loving it.
5. Keep a notepad handy
As you’re following these steps to refresh your thinking, you’ll naturally have plenty of ideas randomly float into your head. Make sure to keep a notepad or a journal handy to trap those fleeting thoughts so that you can delve into them with intention later.
Over to you
I hope you’ll try some of these suggestions to give your creativity a boost and refresh your thinking when you can’t manage to get away.
Just think: If these strategies are effective for you, you can end up having the equivalent of many more vacations every single year.
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