You ever see that group that’s high-tailing it to their next Disney ride, with one person leading the charge and the rest of the group – overwhelmed – but still following?

Or what about the parent who’s raising their voice at their child to meet Mickey for the first time, but their child is scared to tears? Or were you ever eating at one of your favorite restaurants but you had to eat quickly because you had a Lightning Lane reservation that started before you finished dessert?

Disney World packs a ton of attractions, activities, hotels, restaurants, and shopping into a space equivalent to the size of San Francisco. It can feel so overwhelming. So with so much to do, you have to do as much as you can with what little time you have, right?

Before this weekend, I would have probably said “yes” to that question.

But I just had the chance to stay at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and oh my goodness, it’s opened my eyes. Here’s the thing. Disney World indeed can be so overwhelming. It has:

• Over 30 hotels, each with its own set of activities and unique extra-magical experiences,
• 4 theme parks, where you’re guaranteed to walk at least 15,000 steps in a day,
• 2 water parks,
• 2 mini golf courses,
• and 1 major shopping and dining center that takes up almost 30,000 acres

On the other hand, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort has:

• 1 hotel that takes up less than 12 acres,
• a short list of resort and beach activities,
• a natural setting designed to unplug and relax,
• and a limited amount of attractions in the surrounding area

That’s pretty much it.

With so much less that Vero Beach has to offer, I thought that I’d risk being bored out of my mind.

I couldn’t have been further from the truth.

With less to do, I was forced to:

• slow down,
• unplug,
• relax, and
• recharge

No rope drop, no 3 o’clock parade, no Lightning Lanes, no fireworks. Just unstructured, unscheduled relaxation.

And it was fun.

You might be saying, “Stephen, I want to go to Disney because of all the things to do there. It’s just so magical!” I hear you. And don’t worry, I’m not telling you to avoid Disney World. Otherwise, my whole business here would be useless.

Instead, I’m offering you this one piece of simple advice to feel less overwhelmed on your next Disney World vacation:

Less is truly more

Far too often, I’ve come back from a Disney vacation feeling overly fatigued and exhausted. Because of it, I felt like I never really recharged. And that sometimes meant going back to work feeling more stressed than when I left to start my vacation!

But if you shifted your perspective away from “I need to do everything” and toward “I only need to do what truly recharges me,” the following happens:

• You’ll be less stressed
• Your cortisol levels decrease, meaning you sleep better, your decision-making is improved, and you’re in a better mood
• You’ll recover better between theme park days
• You have less decisions to make, meaning you won’t suffer from mental fatigue
• You’ll only walk to the attractions that you truly enjoy, meaning you’ll walk less and have less soreness and fatigue
• You’ll live more in the “now” instead of worrying about your next attraction, meaning you’ll feel more connected with your loved ones and truly enjoy the Disney magic

I don’t know about you, but the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks of practicing the “less is more” philosophy.