How to really relax on your vacation: holidays can be more stressful than restful. Here's how to feel truly revived - Mind, Body, Spirit - Brief Article

FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO MAKE your next get-away relaxing.

1. Leave your laptop and cell phone at home, says Jonathan Foust, president of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, Mass. Otherwise you might be tempted to squeeze in a little work.

2. Whenever possible during your vacation, don't wear a watch. You'll be able to focus on the present moment better, explains Barry Neil Kaufman, co-founder of the Option Institute, a personal growth program in Sheffield, Mass.

3. Don't try to do too much. Before you leave, investigate potential activities and sites and compile a realistic to-do list, suggests Shelly Field, a Monticello, N.Y.-based motivational speaker who specializes in how to deal with stress.

4. Allow at least one entire day between when you return from your trip and when you go back to work, recommends Foust. If you don't unwind from traveling and unpack, you'll end up feeling frazzled and as if you hadn't taken a vacation.

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