The thought of being confined to Club Fed with a group of strangers is rather daunting and can conjur up images of being sent off to Swiss Boarding School with a suitcase and airline tickets and nothing more than a brisk handshake from your Father and a reassuring kiss on the forehead from your Mum.

In preparation for your staycay try to read up on your location and treat it like an adventure.  Try to ignore the scathing blog posts and focus on the positive aspects of your new refuge.  Miring yourself in negative thoughts and “what if” scenarios is not productive use of your time or energy.

If Martha Stewart, Goddess of pristinely organized closets and Michelin starred meals, can make something positive out of her staycay, than so can anyone!

Currently working 80 hr weeks and sleeping with your smart phone a short grasp away from you?  Well, you will have a Social Media detox during your sabbatical.  At first your fingers will be twitching for a keyboard and thoughts of Snap Chat and Instagram will be running through your head, but eventually thoughts of FOMO will subside and you will be able to sit in silence and read and truly absorb a book without the sounds of pings  distracting you.

You may also be accustomed to seeing movies on their release date, or a private screening at a friend’s home.  While that will not be the case at Club Fed, you will be seeing movies as soon as they are released on DVD.  You will now have read all of the critiques before you see the movie so you will be better prepared to make your decision on whether or not the acting is Oscar worthy.

Rather than referring to your adventure as Club Dred, try to use this time away from home and loved ones as a time to meditate and reflect.  Many people will envy (yes, envy) the chance to escape their everyday pressures and truly reassess their life…their values…their goals….and plan out how to be a productive engaged person once you re-enter society.

In this fast paced existence we are all running from one meeting/event/appointment to another and never really taking the time to pause, re-energize and re-prioritize our lives.  Yes, the annual Canyon Ranch detox is nice, but it’s really about losing the 5 lbs you gained over the holidays before swimsuit season, not about gaining inner peace.  This staycay is really a chance to unplug and re-evaluate all aspects of your life.

Try to stay focused on what you can do that is in your control versus what is out of your control.

Good people make mistakes, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t still good people.