At last. The long-awaited vacation is coming. Whether it's a long weekend or a whole week, maybe just a few days in between, the main thing is to switch off, take a deep breath, relax. It's best to arrive without traffic jams, check in, put your suitcases in your room and head to the wellness area.

Thought experiment

What if it could all take place in your head? Arrive, drop your bags and off you go to the wellness area - in your own head. 

The traffic jam-free journey would mean the way you arrive where you want to arrive. So the question is which road to take. Just like the journey to a hotel, there are many ways to get there. Some want the fast, direct route and take the highway. Others prefer an idyllic country road in the countryside, still others take the plane, some choose a combination, still others travel by boat, some take the bike, and others prefer to walk. 

In the context of our thought experiment, here are a few suggestions:

• (Winter) hiking
• Wim Hof Breathing
• Ice bathing
• Flow retreats
• Searching for mushrooms
• Meditate
• Yoga
• Box Breathing
• Tai Chi
• Qui Gong
• The Silva Method
• And the like more

The first thing is to arrive

That is the big question. Where do you want to arrive? Do you want to beam yourself into higher spheres, do you want to achieve clarity, do you want to find peace, be able to forgive, let go of fear, clear your head, take on new perspectives, or simply dive into the quiet mountain lake?

Which form of mental exercise or spiritual practice you choose is up to you. The fact is that the clearer your intention is at the beginning of the session, the sooner you will get to where you want to be. In many cases, you start with an intention but then get stuck on a thought, the intention changes intuitively and you end up where you feel drawn to. In this case, the path would be the goal. The main thing is that there are not too many goals, because that would mean that one thought follows another, and that is pretty much the opposite of a clear head.

Then put down the ballast

Some people travel with hand luggage, others need suitcase racks. But no matter what the piece of luggage is, it can be difficult to part with it and put it down. Suitcases are often easier to put down than handbags, because you hold on to one and the other can be brought to your room by the porter. And even if the handbag is parked in a safe place, people often like to carry their cell phones with them.

It's the same with persistent thoughts, fears, worries, feelings of being treated unfairly, jealousy, envy and the like. These are things that you often keep very close to you and don't want anyone to see. That's why you have a password on your cell phone. 

The difference is that in most cases you can remember the unlock code for your cell phone or have even written it down. The unlock code for your own head, however, is often not so easy to find. And this is exactly where mental wellness comes into play. Once the mindset has been created, you remember the code and the ballast falls away. And if the environment is right, the method can unfold. And then the chances are very high that you will get to where you want to be.

Off to the wellness area

If the sauna is really warm, the massage therapist chooses the right massage techniques with a pleasant intensity, or the sun shines into the relaxation room, then you can relax almost at the touch of a button, and physical wellness sets in immediately. 

In the same way, once you have chosen the right mental wellness method for you, you arrive where you want to be. However, the difference is that in mental wellness, the method is the same as the wellness area itself, because the method creates the space in which you want to arrive in order to get where you want to go.

Yes, the topic is complex

But only if you write about it at length. Mental wellness is difficult to explain, it's best to just do it. And that's where the wellness area comes into play again.

Many hotels have specialized in wellness, but only in physical wellness. After a few days of relaxation, it's back home to the hamster wheel. At the Seehotel Jägerwirt on the Turracher Höhe, however, they specialize in mental wellness, and do everything they can to ensure that the emotional and mental effect is sustainable, i.e. lasts as long as possible.

Whether it's foraging for mushrooms, hiking, flow retreats, Wim Hof breathing or ice bathing, they have everything in their repertoire and have put together a calendar of events to position themselves as one of the first hubs for mental wellness in the German-speaking world. 

Foretaste

You can get a taste of what's to come in the podcast by Alexander Springenschmidt, one of the managing directors: "Weekend from Wednesday" is the name of the show, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and on the YouTube channel of the same name.

Here are the links: www.wochenendeabmittwoch.com