As I witness the diverse circles of my world renegotiate their travel around the neighborhood, university,golf course or planet, I am ironically reminded of the recent cultural appeal of the staycation .

For those of you who may not be familiar with the concept, a staycation is the nomenclature for “a period in which an individual or family stays home and participate in leisure activities within driving distance of their home (which)does not require overnight accommodations” per Wikipedia .

The staycation was first recognized during the 2007-2008 global financial crisis as it provided a cost-effective vacation alternative. During a break from your professional life, you choose to stay near home instead of wandering about overnight. It allowed you to sleep in your own wonderful bed with a pillow that secured your happy neck while eating the specific food you prefer, savoring comfy home spaces and places to work, hangout on your balcony, stoop or chill in your backyard – a great stress reducer.

People who took this alternative would boast that they had fewer airline insults and impractical check-in/checkout times at their hotels to deal with. When a vacation came around,all my friends and I tried it, usually making a PR spectacle by announcing to the office, family and friends that we were taking a "Staycation" to signal a few things such as…

We’re saving for a once in a lifetime trip.

We wanted to enjoy our own place for more than the few hours high demand jobs allow.

The housemate/spouse/ significant other wants to finally get those home projects scheduled and done!

We were finally ready to celebrate the company of our familiar people,surroundings, self, and space.

It was an eco-friendly choice.

And for those who may never have taken a vacation due to family budget constraints they now had a great way to avoid any embarrassment. The staycation was ultra-cool.

Remember?

What were your reasons?

During this time of shelter in place, the staycation has gone to new heights of reflecting our hunger for creativity and expression. Here is one of my current favs. Try a virtual best drink and clean joke tasting with friends and family.Everyone has a turn to describe what they are choosing to drink and shares a great clean joke or story. Slightly naughty is OK too if the kids aren’t around. Inclusive, ingenious social distancing.

What have been you best virtually creative moments?

The unfortunate part of this current staycation situation is that as a result, each of us must reckon with fewer choices – limits we may not fully understand or embrace. This leads to heightened emotional frustrations while staying at home. Recently it has felt as if I were living in a Twilight Zone episode, one where there were no windows or doors on any of the dwellings *cue Twilight Zone theme song*

So, what are the possible benefits of this new, expanded, imposed staycation?

One benefit is that I finally get to spend time with one of my favorite people, my most precious self.Might sound corny, but enjoying your own company is a skill some possess, and others must develop. How do you learn to enjoy your own company? By knowing who you are and how to honor, nourish and delight in life. This is our time to focus on the being instead of the doing. Meeting up with yourself in isolation is all about learning how to be comfortable with yourself. It takes a willingness and practice.

Why?

We are usually confused about howto be our true selves and lovable in the same moment. The tradition of vipassana meditation and yoga has its roots in Buddhism and Hinduism. Vipassana focuses on self-transformation through self-observation. By watching the fleeting nature of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and judgments, vipassana teaches us to accept the ups and downs that life brings.This form of meditation is experienced over ten-days spent in total silence. Your only company during those ten days is what you sense and think. This is one way to truly meet up with yourself. The goal is to be liberated from self-inflicted suffering – a good reason to sit in silence for over a week.

Our current staycation is one opportunity to make peace with yourself in service to honoring the beautiful,imperfect, whole, ever-growing, divinely inspired human, who is figuring out howto be lovable and meaningfully connect. When we are constrained in our choices,we are forced to be present to solving the problems at hand. That challenge brings out the heroic feats inmost. Not many people know a really good clean joke.

Give yourself credit for the time you are spending learning to enjoy your own company. Be kind to yourself. Laugh and play as you can. This is a time to create sanctuary within our hearts since we cannot always change where we are physically planted. Sometimes it is not a place that encourages us to bloom. If that is the case, then celebrate the sunshine within.

The VAST Institute offers Self-Wisdom, Authenticity, Leadership and Healthy happy Relationship Studies for those ready to become more comfortable with self as an instrument, ready to thrive; while illuminating humankindness.