This summer’s motto goes as follows: “live everyday like you’re on vacation.” What says vacation more than palm trees and sunsets?! Believe it or not, this picture wasn’t taken in the Caribbean or downloaded off the web. I recently snapped this baby (no filter, may I add) at a local beach club over a casual family dinner of fresh-caught fish and chilled rosé. Just one of the many moments this summer when I’ve truly felt like I was on vacation.

Ah, that magic word: vacation. What is it about being on vacation that puts us at ease? Whether it’s a ski trip, sight-seeing, or a tropical getaway, the action of traveling somewhere free of the usual to-do’s really allows us to check-out of the daily grind and check into “vacation mode.”

Day after day, I found myself walking the dog around Sag Harbor marina, surrounded by couples, friends, and families all clearly in “vacation mode.” As a year-round local with a job to do and a life to live, I honestly started to feel a little bit jealous of these vacationers, who appeared to have nothing on the agenda but beach days, family meals, and R&R. I instantly snapped out of jealousy it when I reminded myself that I’m the one that gets to stay here in this paradise!

I decided that it was time to make a conscious decision to tap into vacation mode at least once a day, all summer long…why not all year round? A permanent summer vacation? No, not every minute of every day, (that would be a really unproductive summer!) I’m talking at least a few minutes of every day. Once I adopted this mindset, my eyes instantly opened up a little wider and I began to snap in and out of vacation mode on the regular. Every day of sunshine, stroll around town, date night, barbecue, yoga class, summer cocktail, outdoor run, afternoon adventure, trip to the farmer’s market, and even business meetings began to feel more relaxing and less taxing. Every day is an adventure, a new opportunity to try new things, soak up the sun, have the best summer yet…what are we waiting for?!

I invite you to join me on this stay-cation. Remind yourself daily to check into vacation mode at some point or another. If that means waking up earlier to walk along the beach, make it happen. Whatever you have to do to get into that stress-free mindset, make it a priority. Take some deep breaths of fresh summer air and decide how you’ll make time each day for a mini-vaca. And, at least once this summer, play hooky and do something on your summer bucket list. That’s an order.

One Healthy Breakdown: Looking back, you may not remember the work you put in or how clean your house is, but you will remember the sunsets, family dinners, and beach days.