Wellness Tip

According to the psychologist John Eastwood, boredom is “the unfulfilled desire for satisfying activity” — when our mind and bodies are looking for, but failing to find, something that merits our meaningful attention.

Researchers have found that subjects who are asked to perform boring tasks later perform better than a control group at a creative activity. The scientists believe that when we’re bored, we tend to start daydreaming, engaging in the kind of free and associative thinking that’s fertile ground for creativity.

Boredom can also make us more productive. When we’re uninspired by the task in front of us, it’s easy to indulge in distractions like social media, online shopping, or texting. The productivity expert Josh Kaufman advises us to resist this impulse and embrace the boring task instead. He calls this “strategic boredom” — when we don’t allow ourselves anything else to focus on, we’re more inspired to finish the boring task quickly.

Here are some tips to help you embrace boredom. 

1. Don’t Dismiss Boredom 

Next time you find yourself in a potentially boring situation — waiting in line at the grocery store, sitting on a bus or train, stuck at your desk with an uninspiring assignment—resist the impulse to focus on something more entertaining. If you don’t have pressing responsibilities, let your mind wander and see where it leads you.

2. Approach Boredom With Curiosity

Researchers have identified multiple forms of boredom ranging from indifferent (calm but disengaged) to reactant (negative feelings, like a desperate wish to be doing something else). When you notice boredom, ask yourself about the nature of that feeling. What thoughts and feelings can you identify?

3. Listen to Your Boredom

Your boredom may be sending you an important message. Being consistently bored at work is a good sign that your work isn’t challenging you. If you’re bored around your friends or significant other, you may have gotten into a social pattern you no longer find stimulating or fulfilling — meaning it may be time to introduce new conversation topics or new activities.

Ready to daydream at a tiny cabin in the woods? Book your Getaway today.

Art making is a regular part of our lives when many of us are growing up. But as we get older, folks who pursue careers in the arts often specialize in one form or another, and those of us who don’t consider ourselves “real artists” often fall out of the habit of making any art at all.

It’s a problem worth trying to solve, because art (both making it and consuming it) can enrich our lives in lots of ways. Art has the power to change how we see and experience the world around us. Making art allows us to explore other sides of ourselves and even surprise ourselves. It can also be an important mode of self-expression: a way of translating our thoughts, experiences, and emotions into new forms, then using those forms to connect with others.

You don’t have to possess any special talent or formal education to make art. You just have to be willing to try it out. Here are some ideas to help you start creating again.

Looking for more wellness tips? Check out  “Getting Away: 75 Everyday Practices for Finding Balance in Our Always-On World” by our founder, Jon Staff.

1. Carry a Blank Notebook

Carry a blank notebook to capture inspiration when it strikes. Make a conscious effort to notice and record the things that interest and inspire you. Use your notebook as a pressure-free space to jot down rough ideas and sketches. Or take pictures on your smartphone or with a camera to create a visual diary.

2. Carve Out Time

Developing an artistic practice is like developing any other skill: It requires dedicated time. “Step firmly in your path and dare; be wild two hours a day!” advised the Postimpressionist painter Paul Gauguin. If you can’t find two hours in your daily schedule for artistic wildness, start by reserving at least one hour a week. 

3. Be Creative Anywhere 

When it comes to making art, the sky’s the limit: You don’t need to be sitting in front of an easel, a potter’s wheel, or a grand piano. You can make art from anything you can imagine: gum wrappers, tire tracks, or the movement of your own body.

4. Take a Class 

Signing up for an art class will force you to commit to a regular artistic practice, at least for the duration of the course. Take the opportunity to improve on a skill you’ve practiced before, or try something brand new. 

5. Make Bad Art

Julia Cameron, the author of the bestselling creativity guide “The Artist’s Way,” keeps a sign in her workspace that reads: I AM WILLING TO MAKE BAD ART. She says, “We must not deny ourselves the dignity of growth… By being willing to make bad art, I am free to make any art — and often, art that is very good.” When you’re willing to make bad art, you’re actually willing to make progress.

6. Schedule a Craft Night

Instead of throwing a dinner party or meeting at the bar, invite friends over for a craft night. Get some basic supplies (like drawing and construction paper, colored pencils and pens, watercolors, glue, etc.) and encourage people to contribute their own craft materials.

7. Check Out Getaway’s Artist Fellowship Program 

We offer free overnight stays in our tiny cabins to artists looking to harness their talents in a focused environment surrounded by nature. Anyone involved in creative work is considered a good candidate for the fellowship program.

Ready to plan a creative escape? Book your Getaway today.

To take a forest bath is to stroll through the woods while paying close attention to your senses. Your goal is to slow down, quiet your mind, and take in the sights, sounds, scents, textures, (and occasionally tastes) of the forest.

In 1990, Chiba University researcher Yoshifumi Miyazaki found that forest bathing led to lower levels of stress and boosted immune function.

Here are some tips to help you try forest bathing. 

1. Find A Spot You Love

Find a spot in nature that makes you feel peaceful and relaxed. While you don’t need to be in total isolation, you’ll want to avoid crowded places. If you love the sound of running water, see if you can start your forest bath near a river or stream. If the smell of damp soil makes you happy, seek out a shady grove. 

2. Leave Your Cell Phone Behind

Even better, leave behind as much as you can. The fewer possessions you’re carrying, the more you’ll be able to focus on the feeling of your body moving through the landscape. Don’t worry about where you’re going; let your senses and curiosity be your guide. 

3. Open Your Senses 

Listen for birds and the rustling of leaves. Look at the different colors of foliage and the pattern of shadows from sunlight through the branches. Inhale to smell and taste the aroma of the soil, moss, and trees. Press your hands against tree trunks to feel the texture of the bark; sit or lie on the ground to get a fresh perspective.

4. Take Your Time 

Unlike a hike or even a walk, you’re not trying to get from Point A to Point B. You might not wander more than a few dozen yards in any direction. The goal is to open yourself up to the landscape and let it work its gentle magic to relax and restore you.

 Ready to try forest bathing yourself? Book an escape to nature today.

We’ve been exchanging letters of appreciation for thousands of years. The ancient Chinese and Egyptians wrote each other well wishes on papyrus. Fourteenth-century Europeans delivered notes to friends and family by hand. 

In the late 1880s, the card-sending tradition took off in the United States when Polish-born printer Louis Prang introduced a technique called chromolithography to reproduce colorful motifs on card stock. Today, however, it can seem like these expressions of gratitude have become a rarity.

A recent study conducted at the University of Texas, Austin, found that people often hesitate to send thank you letters because they worry their notes might come across as insincere or poorly written, and that they might make recipients feel awkward or uncomfortable. 

At the same time, they doubt how much recipients will appreciate such notes. But the research team discovered that getting a thank you note — even an email that took its author less than five minutes to write — was a big deal to the people who received them. Most reported feeling “ecstatic” and perceived the letters as warmer and better written than their nervous authors had imagined. 

This week, we challenge you to write a thank you note to someone who has helped you get through the last year. Let them know what their time, jokes and support have meant to you — not only will you tap into the benefits of expressing gratitude, but your thanks will likely brighten their week. Here are four tips to help you start writing.

When You Must Send a Thank You Note 

While letters of appreciation are a nice gesture at any time, in certain circumstances they’re pretty much mandatory. Always send a thank you note after a job interview, after receiving a gift, after someone writes you a letter of recommendation or does you a favor, after someone hosts an event in your honor, and after someone hosts you in their home.

Personalize Your Note

If you’re expressing gratitude for a gift, let the person know how much you enjoy it or how you plan to use it. If you’re thanking someone for a letter of recommendation, you might mention how you value their opinion.

Make It a Practice 

Make a practice of sending thank you notes after dinners, parties, and other social events. It’s the easiest thing to do, and it will make you feel good to sit down and say a proper thank you—you may even spot your note on your friend’s fridge the next time you visit them. 

Go The Distance

Step up your thank you game by investing in blank cards, a few good pens, and a book of forever stamps. If you’re ever feeling nervous about what to write, remember that the gesture itself is what the recipient will remember.

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Need an escape to reconnect to gratitude? Book your Getaway today.