Some of you may or may not know that I am going on a vacation in a couple weeks. This is not your typical vacation, though. I am going to Rangeley, Maine for a week, by myself. When I tell people that, they instantly say, “ALONE?! BY YOURSELF?! LIKE NO ONE?!” Yes. Why? There are a lot of reasons and things I am going to accomplish by doing this, which I am going to explain. Maybe it could give you an idea, as well.

Why Maine? That’s 6 hours away.

A year ago, I went and visited my father who was vacationing in Rangeley for a week. He was renting a home that was on the most beautiful lake in the most peaceful location. I could only stay for the weekend, but I was so at peace. No noise or cell service, just the lake and the mountains in the middle of nowhere. I told myself that next year (which is this year), I am going to come back and really take advantage of this whole experience.

Why am I going alone?

My mental and physical health. Instead of trying to explain why I am doing this, I am going to list all the things I want to accomplish there and that will explain my why.

1. Learn That It Is OKAY To Be ALONE

This is numero uno for me. I need to remember that it is okay to be alone. Again, not trying to get super personal, but I think this comes down to relationships. Relationships play a huge role in our lives and we tend to become dependent on other people or wanting to feel validated from others. It’s my goal to remember how young I am, to let go of the heart breaks, delete all my dating apps, and just be okay with knowing that I can hang out with myself from time to time. I’m okay with who I am and I don’t need someone else to tell me that. With time, everything will fall into place.

2. Clearing My Mind


This is so broad and I could go on forever on what I need to clear out of my head, but I’m not going to try to get too personal in this blog. Basically, there is so much chatter and chaos in our lives. I will admit that I am addicted to my phone, whether it’s checking it or constantly trying to think of what I need to do next on my schedule. In Rangeley, there is no cell phone service. Sure, I will probably have wifi instead, but I’m going to make it a rule to limit myself to only an hour a day on my phone. This will allow myself to appreciate where I am and take it in through my physical eyes rather than taking pictures of it through my phone and wanting to post it for everyone to see. Also, I want to clear my mind from things such as money, traffic, work, etc. I’m not necessarily trying to block those things from my mind, because it’s difficult when it’s a stressor, but instead of worrying about it, I will have the time to think about things that I can control. I’ll also be able to think about how to make these things less stressful for me when I come back. We tend to go on vacations with friends or family and when we try to “destress” we often try to do it by complaining and we don’t really try to fix it within ourselves. This is huge for me.

3. Establishing My Priorities


I think it’s crucial to assess what’s important to us in life. The best way to know is to simply be away from it and realize what’s most important. Once we see what it is, what are we going to do about it? For example, I love riding my motorcycle; it’s important to me. But, this summer, I maybe rode it only 3 or 4 times. Learning why it’s important to me will help ensure that when I come back, I am going to make it a personal priority. When I am there, I am going to make a list on what’s important to me and how I am going to make it a priority to make sure I can live more happily.

4. Strengthen Relationships


Ever hear that distance makes the heart grow fonder? It can be true. When we get caught up in stress, we often can take it out on others or we just simply aren’t ourselves. Getting away and being alone from everyone can hit a refresh button so we can be the best version of ourselves. Not only am I planning on strengthening my relationships with others, but this getaway will be strengthening the relationship that I have with myself. When we have the time to understand and value ourselves, we are better able to understand and value others.

5. Taking Care of Myself Physically

These past couple months, I’ll admit that I have not been properly taking care of myself. I am not eating enough, especially when it comes to nutrient dense food. I’ve also found that I am not getting enough sleep, not working out my body as well as I know how to, and I’ve been beating myself up mentally. This week off will be used to get my ducks in a row. I am going to bring nothing but nutritious food and properly plan out my meals. I want to catch up on sleep and get my sleep schedule back on track. I will find a trail and run it every day and I’m planning on going out on the kayak daily to just coast. Maybe I’ll read a book that’s doesn’t have to do with strength and conditioning. All of this will make me feel good about myself.


Being alone and being lonely are two different things. Being alone is something we do to fuel our soul and energize our life. Being lonely is living a life that disconnects ourselves from others. I know it’s going to be odd at first, and that’s okay. It’s an ‘observe and process’ type situation that will gain perspective and valuable information.

I challenge you to do this, or something like it, at least once this year. It doesn’t have to be a week, maybe you can do just a weekend, or even a day. Just slow down! You will thank yourself in the long run.