There is no better trick to relax than a good vacation, that's clear.

When we have enough time to go to the beach and unwind, or to the mountains and breathe fresh air, or why not, visit other cities or go on an adventure if what we are looking for is something completely different from our daily life...

Whatever Whatever it is, getting out of the routine has a very positive effect on our mental health and makes us return home with more energy.

But of course, constant vacations are not possible. We are lucky to live in a country where there are many holidays throughout the year that allow us to rest before summer or Christmas, but even those days are not always available to everyone, there are those who do or do have to work.

But what if it were possible to get the benefits of vacation without having to go on vacation? Psychology professor Mary McNaughton-Cassill has explained in her Psychology Today column that vacations are “a state of mind” and that with so-called “Daycations” something like “vacation days” you can achieve the same effect (or at least one quite similar).

It happens to all of us that when the weekend arrives or there is a long weekend , instead of taking advantage of it to rest we find that we have to catch up on everything we have delayed.

For some it may be work, for others the house, for others the children and their homework... The fact is that in the blink of an eye the days have passed and we are even more exhausted than before.

The trick to relax that the expert recommends is to take even one of those days every month or every two months , and dedicate it completely to something that you really like and reduce your stress.

Do you like cycling through the countryside? Do it, you are one of those who prefers to sit on the terrace or balcony with a book, perfect. Do you like visiting museums?

You can choose one that you haven't visited in your own city and go at once. Put aside social media, email, and calls. It's your day off and you deserve to be free from all that.

The key is to use a day to truly disconnect instead of doing the usual thing: loading up on more work.

You can plan it in advance , for example deciding that next Saturday you are going to go to that exhibition that you always leave aside even though you are dying to see it.

To do this, on Thursday or Friday you can make food and leave it ready for the next day so you don't have to waste time on it.

It may not really be a vacation, but as McNaughton-Cassill says, it is a state of mind and you will see how after that disconnection you will feel revitalized as if you were in the middle of August. You can start putting it into practice whenever you want.

[ Via GQ Spain]