Vacation is a time to put all our concerns and stresses aside and focus on relaxing. That’s in an ideal world, anyway. For those who deal with anxiety-related conditions, invasive thoughts can penetrate even when thousands of miles away from home, but here is a trick to keep them at bay.
It is a rather common thought to wonder whether you locked the door, turned of the stove, the oven, or even your straightening iron before leaving the house. Sometimes it is easy to go back and check (where you normally discover that yes, you did, and all is fine), but other times, you are en route to a foreign country and turning back means you will miss your flight.
What then, inevitably, happens is that you spend your entire vacation panicking about whether your home is going to burn down or be robbed. What happened to relaxing?!
One way to prevent that anxiety is by taking a photograph of the stove dials, closed garage, and unplugged appliances before you leave the house. That way, whenever your brain tries to trick you with those rude, invasive thoughts, you can simply refer to the picture as evidence that all is fine.
Now, enjoy your vacation!