Learning How To Relax On A Mexican Island

I’m definitely not going to pretend that I am a good person to talk to about relaxing.

If you’ve been reading for a while you will know that relaxing is not something that I am very good at or enjoy doing. I am normally go go go go go on holidays, trying to see and do as much as I can.

But when we arrived on Isla Mujeres, stop number three on our honeymoon, we found ourselves on an island with not a lot to do, and as island life goes the best thing to do is kick back, relax and enjoy the sunshine.

It was definitely the first time I felt like I was relaxing, with all of the stress of having a perfect wedding starting to leave, and that sunshine starting to soak in. So if you think you’re highly strung like me, here are some tips to relaxing for non-relaxers!

Force yourself to stop, sit still and be present

Watching the sunset is a really great way to do this, because even though you’re forcing yourself to sit still and do nothing, there is still a reason and a time frame.

You’re waiting to watch the sun go down, and you know that after it’s gone you can get up and do something else. We were watching the sunset from our sunbed next to the calm water around our hotel.

Deciding to watch the sunset definitely kept me there and helped me relax for about an hour more than I usually would have liked to sit still. Plus, it’s so beautiful!

Check out more of our favourite resort on the island

Put away your phone

This might be the advice of every single book/website/app that teaches people how to relax, but it is of course the most obvious.

Our phones can be such an intense distraction from anywhere. Have you ever been scrolling through social media and then you click to something else and you keep going, and before you know it your 17 pages deep and you’ve lost 45 minutes of your life. It can happen to all of us, so easily!

Give your eyes a break, put your phone away and really try and focus on being present in the moment. It’s something I’ve always had a really hard time doing, but when you actually force yourself it feels so good!

No e-mail, Instagram post, news article or notification is that important.

Explore the ultimate place to relax on the island

honeymoon selfie

The moment I realised I could relax + my guacamole addiction is evident (that was our second round)

Grab some good food and drinks before you get settled! Having something tasty to snack or sip on can often help you unwind and relax.

For me, it was definitely my guacamole addiction and a few tequila sunrises that helped me unwind. I couldn’t tell you the actual reason, but it never hurts to have a good snack!

Exploring the Island of Isla Mujeres

They might sound like pretty simple ideas, but they’re harder than you think to make a non-relaxer actually stick to.

Keeping your mind focused on the moment, what you’re doing and what’s going on around you can be difficult, but it is a great mindfulness technique that can make you appreciate your experiences so much more.

Give it a try next time you feel like you need some relaxation and let me know how you go! We promise you’ll feel better for it.

An Essential Guide To Isla Mujeres