When was the last time you had time away from work?
Sure, you’re at home on the weekends, but how often are you checking your work e-mail after hours?
We’re more connected to work now than ever before. Constant connection takes a toll on both your physical and mental health. That’s why it’s so important to distance yourself from work a few times a year.
Taking a vacation is a necessary part of life. You don’t have to travel across the world on a month-long trip to reap the benefits. Even a weekend away can clear your head and present countless benefits.
Keep reading to learn why you need to go on vacation this year.
1. Vacationing Promotes Relaxation
Our bodies and minds are not meant to work 24/7/365.
Your brain becomes accustomed to not vacationing. When you’re always in “go” mode and never in “relax,” the neural connections that create calm feelings will weaken. It’ll be harder for you to unwind and shut your brain off at the end of the day.
2. Vacationing Equals Better Physical Health
If you’re always stressed at work, a vacation will encourage better physical health. Even one week away from your workplace can make you feel healthier.
Stress is a significant contributor to heart disease and high blood pressure. Removing yourself from your stress triggers can, therefore, provide cardiovascular health benefits.
Vacations reduce stress by taking you out of the environment that you associate with stress in the first place.
3. Holidays Provide Quality Time With Family
Our overscheduled modern lifestyles don’t leave much room for bonding. When we’re not at work, we’re shuttling kids around to activities and trying to fit in time for ourselves, too.
A recent study suggests that it’s not how much time you spend with your kids that matters. It’s how you choose to spend that time that makes a difference—quality over quantity.
Taking a family vacation provides quality time for you to bond with your spouse and children.
Everybody loves going on fun family cruises together. So plan a holiday that the whole family will enjoy.
4. Vacationing Improves Your Mental Health
Prolonged exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can alter your brain structure. When you’re stressed, your body makes more cortisol than it has time to release. Excess cortisol makes it difficult for your brain to function the way it should.
Taking a vacation occasionally means less cortisol and more endorphins and oxytocin. The latter two hormones play an essential role in our brain chemistry. Endorphins and oxytocin positively affect how we perceive ideas and beliefs.
One study found that women who vacationed twice a year were less likely to be tense, stressed, or tired. These women were also happier in their marriages than their non-vacationing counterparts.
Eighty-percent of people report having a more positive life outlook post-vacation. So don’t feel guilty about taking a much-needed mental health vacation.
5. Productivity Improves Post-Vacation
Does forgoing a vacation mean more hours logged and more productivity? You might be surprised to learn that it doesn’t.
The inability to detach yourself from your work can cause burnout. Burnout impacts your physical and mental wellbeing and your productivity, too.
Disengaging from work will make you more productive and engaged when you return.
Start By Taking a Vacation Every Year
If you’ve been a workaholic for some time, taking a vacation might be hard for you. You’ve earned it, though. Going on vacation will clear your head and give you something to look forward to.
Now get out there, book that trip, and have a good vacation!
Check out our Human Resources section for more tips for busy employees.
