Essential Tips: Photograph Your Stove Before Vacation

1. Understanding Vacation Stress

Heading out on vacation can be a thrilling proposition. After all, you get to take a break from your day-to-day life, experience something new, and go on an adventure. However, getting out of the house before a vacation can be fairly stressful. From preparing and packing to making sure you’re at the airport on time, there’s so much to think about when leaving on vacation.

Consequently, it’s no surprise that you may experience a mid-travel moment of stress, worrying that you forgot something major, like turning off the stove.

2. Using Photos to Create Security Proof

Don’t worry, Lifehacker has a tip that can help. One effective way to alleviate worries is to create a little “proof” by snapping a photo and adding it to a “vacation ready” photo album on your phone. Yes, really! Take a photo of your closed garage, unplugged beauty appliances, and even your stove dials. Therefore, when you start to feel anxious, you can simply look at your photo album, take a deep breath, and refocus on your vacation.

3. Psychological Effects of Double-Checking

The photo approach may also be superior for some individuals compared to constantly double-checking. According to Psychology Today, a study conducted at Quebec’s Concordia University focused on this phenomenon of double-checking. In the study, college students repeatedly checked whether the stove was turned off after shutting it down. While those students who checked several times accurately remembered the stove was off, their confidence in their memory diminished over time.

Moreover, psychologist Adam Radomsky, who led the study, cautioned that excessive checking—be it physically or mentally—can undermine memory confidence.

“There’s research to suggest that after just two checks, your confidence can be impacted. The more you check, the less confident you may become,” Radomsky noted.

4. Final Travel Tips for Anxiety Reduction

If snapping a photo works to help you reduce anxiety, then it’s certainly worth trying. However, if you feel that this method may instead worsen your travel anxiety, consider other coping strategies for the stress of getting out of the house. Although there is no one-size-fits-all solution, hopefully, the Lifehacker technique assists many frequent travelers in conducting their journeys with greater confidence.