Jessica Stillman reflects on her recent beach holiday, realizing that sheer relaxation alone didn’t rejuvenate her mentally. Instead, psychologists suggest that a “skillcation” a vacation focused on learning or honing a skill offers deeper mental refreshment.

Research shows that activities demanding mastery, like learning a new language, pickleball, or cooking, deliver what psychologists call mastery experiences. These not only stimulate the brain but also foster a sense of achievement, counteracting burnout more effectively than lounge-based rest. Such initiatives promote cognitive benefits enhancing neural connections and improving brain health through novelty and challenge. Such initiatives promote cognitive benefits enhancing neural connections and improving brain health through novelty and challenge.

Psychologists also point to the power of being in a state of flow, where we lose track of time and self-consciousness, fully immersed in the moment. This is more likely on skillcations than on idle vacations. By engaging the mind and body, these trips help reset stress patterns, foster deep relaxation, and return us to routine recharged.