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    The Vacation That Doesn't Cost a Cent

    By | Summer Living – Thu, Jun 16, 2011 4:55 PM EDT

    By Anna Davies, REDBOOK

    If you think a mental mini-break sounds like a limp substitute for an exotic getaway, think again. "Frequent mental vacations are essential for restoring your emotional well-being," explains Cheryl Saban, Ph.D., author of What is Your Self-Worth? Here are the three essential steps that will help you discover your own escape:

    1. Allow yourself to let go: "We're so busy trying to respond to other people's needs that we need to give ourselves permission to take a mental break," Saban explains. "Think of five minutes of time for you as a deposit in your emotional well-being bank that will benefit everyone in your life."

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    2. Turn off distractions: "It's become normal for all of us to multitask, juggling multiple schedules and communication devices," Saban says. But you're not truly on a mental vacation if every ding from your email program yanks you back to reality. Come on, you can do it: Walk away from your computer (or mute or put it in sleep mode), shut off or silence your cell phone, and revel in a few moments of complete inaccessibility.

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    3. Surrender to your senses: Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a setting that makes you smile. It could be a beach, the mountains, or even a busy street in a far-flung city. Once you see the scene, try to smell, feel, and hear it-imagining the crashing of waves on the shore, the warmth of the sun on your skin, or the chirping of birds in the trees with as much detail as possible. The more fully you create the scene in your mind, the more you'll be able to ignore the distractions around you and tap into your inner calm.
    Read more: How to Take a Mental Vacation - Cheap Vacations - Redbook


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