The human body is designed to have regular rest – daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Hence, the importance of getting enough sleep, enjoying your weekends, and taking some time off throughout the year to get away. That can be a hard thing to do in a country where people are often judged by what they can accomplish. In fact, this attitude that “time is money” and the “early bird gets the worm” have made us some of the top workaholics in the world. However, without sufficient restful and restorative getaways, all that stress and hard work are certain to damage our health and limit the pleasure of our productivity.
Research has shown there are several secrets of an effective vacation; a vacation that provides stress relief and rest that can dramatically improve our health. First, vacations don’t necessarily need to be long (three days is sufficient) in order to give you a benefit as long as they have some important ingredients. In fact, just planning a vacation can bring you the joy of anticipation for up to ten days prior to the vacation itself, with measurable improvements in mood and physical health.
While on vacation, having enough time for yourself and your personal needs is essential, as is the level of relaxation and freedom from obligation. This means you should not bring work with you or work while on vacation; nor should you try and pack your time with things to do (yes there are a lot of fun things to try and no, you don’t have to do them all to have fun).
In addition, adding in some physical activity, getting plenty of good quality sleep and making new acquaintances are all positively associated with a feeling of recuperation. Try to avoid negative incidences and hassles – like traffic, time-share salespeople or conflicts with your family – as much as possible as this can have a negative impact on the restorative quality of your time away.
Finally, planning ahead to avoid work overload upon returning home is essential to make those restorative effects last as long as possible – at least until your next getaway.
We all need a break. We are not robots. We are people and people need time to themselves, time for enjoyment, time to relax and time to rebuild and recover from the craziness of our daily lives. Ideally, we get some of that time every day. If this isn’t possible, use the guidelines above to make the most of your vacations – and take them as often as possible!
