Staycationing in place: a proactive way to thrive during a pandemic

By Jhonvie Ariola, Amy Catalan, and Riezl Gilos

 

Staycation. The word evokes images of relaxation, music, comfort food, the beach, friends’ outing, and family togetherness. But in this pandemic, what does it mean to engage in this activity? More importantly, how do we do this without compromising the health and safety of everyone in our family and in our community?

STAYCATION is a coined term for a “vacation spent in one’s home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions” (Definition from Oxford Languages). This means that we either stay in the comforts of our home and play board or online games on our own or with members of the family, cook our favorite dishes and binge-watch our well-loved movies. Or go to the local beach, frolic in the clear waters, eat fresh seafood, and enjoy the company of our loved ones.

Surely, after months of being holed up in our homes to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease, the reaction of most, if not all, in the easing of the quarantine rules in many GCQ classified areas around the country (Ranada, 2020) is to enjoy the outdoors again. Why not?

Getting a lot of sun and fresh air will surely strengthen our well-being to fight against any form of illness, most especially during this time (Surprising Health Benefits of Getting Fresh Air), and the best place to spend quality time with your family or your friends is on the beach.

Here in Iloilo and in Panay, the Ilonggos pride themselves with the clean and well maintained beaches that line the shores of the island from north to south (De Tourista, 2016). But since we want to check the situation in the province on how viable a staycation might be, we can visit the nearest beaches in the province so as not to exhaust ourselves too much, and to observe the safety management protocols in other towns and municipalities.

More importantly, staycationing is one way for us to help the tourism sector in rising from the negative impact brought by the pandemic. It can positively affect the economy, as well, so that we can help to gradually improve and contribute to the efforts of the LGUs to regain the already established economic stronghold in the city and the province.

 

First Staycation during the Quarantine: Pebble Beach in San Joaquin

With much excitement and enthusiasm to finally go out and enjoy the scenery that San Joaquin promises, we have chosen the beach resort that has offered the much-needed respite from the stress and anxiety that we had to manage in the past few months of staying at home, and for having both online classes and preparing learning modules for the upcoming school opening.

When planning for a staycation, it’s important to make reservations days ahead of the visit and to ask about the health protocols implemented by the resort management. This is to make sure that the place will not be overcrowded and that the safety of the customers is the topmost priority. Not only this, we also have to prepare our travel bag with contents like a bottle of alcohol, an extra face mask, and a face shield, not to mention, swimwear and a change of clothes. It is also recommended to bring a first aid kit, just in case.

We can also prepare the food that we want to enjoy on the beach, like veggie salad, garlic shrimps, crabs, chips and sodas, sandwiches, and many other foods that we can indulge in. On the day of this exciting trip, we have to check the vehicle to make sure that it is not going to present any kind of trouble on the way to the venue.

San Joaquin is a pleasant two-hour drive from the city and the paved roads make the trip easy and comfortable. However, we need to prepare our pens for the check-point on the San Joaquin-Miagao boundary since it’s still a quarantine period albeit relaxed. Contact tracing forms are distributed, to be filled-out, and these must be given back to the police officers upon leaving the municipality.

Of course, after this visit to San Joaquin, my students and I are still looking forward to visiting other beaches as workloads have also increased over these past few days. This is also one way to de-stress and unwind, which is truly a good practice for mental health management since we are still uncertain of the times. There is really no way for us to know when this pandemic will dissipate.

 

The Quarantine Period and Its Lessons

This pandemic has taught us so many things. The value of time together with family and friends has made us realize that, indeed, life should be lived simply. In the pre-COVID life, we would make things so complicated which, at times, stemmed from frustrations and disappointments in life. Many family relationships suffered due to problems and arguments. School work tended to burden us the most, and we suppressed these emotional and psychological stresses. These situations often led to anxiety and depression.

But the quarantine period has made us value family and loved ones through empathy and care. In communicating with them, we have left our isolation cages, our individuality, and learned to divert these anxieties into productive activities that remedy our stress and emotional burdens.

During this period, alone time or solitude can be a stress relief if we do things with happy thoughts and start our day with a smile. Or if we exchange messages with a friend on a busy day, the ones that can induce laughter and make us forget about the things that bother us until the wee hours of the night.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought so many changes. It has delivered us to a spectrum of emotional and physical wellness. It has opened us to a reality that we have spent most of our time doing our jobs up to the point of exhaustion. Our bustling schedules of interacting on split screens via Zoom, Google Meet, and other media platforms have rendered us robotic.

Upon reflecting, we find that we are not making memories anymore. No highlights spring into our minds when we are asked about our day. When the novelty is dismissed, we always go back to what we really want, and that is, face-to-face contact and interaction.

 

Staycation as Bonding Moments

On the flipside, we should get away from our mundane routines and spend time laughing, enjoying, and creating memories with friends and loved ones. The values that have been taken for granted or forgotten in our idyllic existence should be celebrated once again. Now is a suitable moment to break free from stress for a while, and to provide an avenue for ourselves to heal and to feel loved.

For this reason, a natural environment is the true champion during this pandemic. It is obvious that we need to start re-establishing our relationship with Mother Nature and delve into an unexpected, thrilling experience. Everyone needs to enjoy and relax with their families and friends. Having a staycation does not just offer an opportunity for us to enjoy the scenery, but above all, it is a moment when we can have a heart-to-heart talk with people that we love, an opportunity where belongingness is recognized and nurtured. It also strengthens solidarity and friendship.

On the other hand, we might say that staycation is only given to people who have so much in life and want to taste freedom and healing. But be reminded that it is not only exclusive to a specific group. Those who have “clear minds” need it, too. This is another way to take care of our well-being and mental health in the company of our family and friends. With them, we can create positive vibes that can also be shared to others, somehow creating a ripple effect that can serve its purpose because showing compassion and kindness to one another is very much needed in times of crisis. More importantly, staycation will enable us to embrace the path of belongingness that has once been overshadowed by busy schedules, heavy workload, and unforeseen circumstances.

At this point, we may think that this pandemic has burdened us with all the negativities in life. Yet, we have come to a point that we can be thankful enough to be surrounded by people with good hearts and that there is always a shoulder to lean on during this time. We may lose someone or something in life, but we are blessed enough because God has given us more than what we expect. All we need is to embrace the changes in our lives with hope and faith that this pandemic will be over soon.

Let’s always have a joyful heart!

 

About the authors

Amy Catalan is a professor of English as a Second Language (ESL) at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. Riezl Gilos and Jhonvie Ariola are her students in the Graduate program.

 

References

 

Definition from Oxford Languages. Available in https://www.lexico.com/definition/staycation . Accessed on September 14, 2020.

 

De Tourista, M. (2016). Iloilo’s 13 Best Beaches and Island Destinations. Available in https://www.exploreiloilo.com/guide/iloilo-beaches-islands/ . Accessed on September 14, 2020.

 

Ranada, P. (September 11, 2020). ‘Staycations’ to be allowed in GCQ areas like Metro Manila – tourism chief. Available in https://rappler.com/nation/staycations-to-be-allowed-gcq-areas-like-metro-manila . Accessed on September 14, 2020.

 

Surprising Health Benefits of Getting Fresh Air. (May 28, 2020). Available in http://liwli.com/surprising-health-benefits-of-fresh-air . Accessed on September 14, 2020.