Hi Glampers
Here is another fantastic article by out guest blogger Jamie Strand on the importance of taking your holidays each year and the health benefits that come with it. After all nothing puts a smile on your face like some much needed relaxation time !
The Mental Health Benefits of Using Your
Vacation Days
You’d love to go on vacation. You dream about
hopping on a plane and going to an exotic foreign country where you can lay on
the beach and sip something yummy from a glass graced with a tiny umbrella. Or
maybe you fantasize about jumping in the minivan with the family and driving
across country to see the sights.
But just as soon as those tantalizing visions
pop into your head, they quickly fizzle away. After all, the boss can’t spare
you at work. There are too many deadlines to meet. Maybe your
supervisor will be annoyed and find a replacement
for you. Or maybe you feel that your department will be lost without you. So
you give up those vacation days and keep dragging yourself to work even though
you feel frazzled, depressed and totally stressed out. Well, now is the time to
change your way of thinking. Using your vacation days is good for you. In fact,
it improves your mental health. Read on to discover how traveling on vacation
can be the best thing you ever do for yourself.
Goodbye Stress
When you travel on vacation, it allows you to
escape from the environment that is the source of your stress and anxiety. Many
people struggle with the the stress of meeting deadlines at work, stress of
trying to balance home and work life or stress of being
unemployed or underemployed. All of these
factors gradually take a toll on our mental health.
If you don’t take time to get away from
everyday pressures, you wind up feeling depressed, irritable and filled with
anxiety. Your memory worsens, and it becomes more difficult to make wise
decisions. These are all important reasons why you should really consider
taking those vacation days.
After taking a vacation, your outlook on life
improves. Why? When you’re on vacation, you’re able to relax with people you
care about, sharing new experiences as you explore unique places and come in
contact with people that differ in culture, language or religion. If you take a
family vacation, you have the opportunity to strengthen the bond with your
loved ones. You broaden your mind and create shared memories with family. Even
better, these memories are completely unrelated to school, work or regular
life. A University of Vienna study even found that the positive
effects of taking a vacation continue even
after you return to work. In fact, when study participants returned to work,
they experienced fewer physical ailments such as backaches, headaches and heart
problems--all issues linked to stress.
Cognitive Boost
When you slave away at work, never taking
days off, you begin to feel resentful and burned out. Eventually, your work
production suffers. Going away on vacation helps to recharge your energy and
sharpen your mind as you plunge into a new environment and maybe even learn a foreign
language. Finding your way around an
unfamiliar town by studying a map or taking a flamenco dance class while
visiting Spain are both ways that you boost your cognitive abilities while on
vacation. These benefits improve your work performance once you return to work.
Taking Your Pet on Vacation
Do you own a pet? Why not take it on vacation
with you? It’s a well known fact that pets help reduce stress in our lives.
Taking your pet with you to an outdoor or
wilderness vacation may be just the thing you need to
help decompress from all of life’s anxieties.
Many hotels accept pets, so it would be easy to take your precious cat
or dog along for some rest and relaxation.
Recovering from Addiction
If you’re recovering from addiction, you also
receive mental health benefits when you travel. Taking a vacation promotes
self-healing. It might allow you to
meditate on your past mistakes and your hopes for a positive, healthy future.
You earned those vacation days. Every day you
come to work and deal with tight deadlines, overtime hours and stressful
situations. So why let those vacation days fall by the wayside? Take time for
yourself, improve your mental health and travel somewhere on vacation. Just
don’t forget to take your sunscreen!
