The Many Benefits of Vacation and Why You Need One Soon

Benefits of Vacation

When was the last time you took a much-needed vacation? And when you did, did you realize just how good it was for you?

There are many benefits of vacation for both your physical and mental health including an increase in happiness and work-life balance and a decrease in stress and anxiety. So taking regular vacations should be an important part of your self-care routine.

And let me tell you, I could certainly use all of those benefits right about now too.

In the last five months alone I’ve gotten married, quit my job, sold my house, bought another house to renovate, homeschooled my kids, and continued to build my business. So I’d say I’ve definitely earned it.

But I’m from the United States, so statistically speaking, I’m not likely to take the time off that I really need.

Do you know that in the United States it’s not even required for businesses to give a single paid vacation day to employees?

They basically get to decide for themselves if they want to include paid time off as part of their benefits package. It’s no wonder Americans are notoriously bad at taking vacation time.

In fact, less than half of all Americans report that their employers encourage taking time off. And many people report that their bosses actively discourage it by bringing up sales numbers and dangling promotional opportunities for those willing to work constantly to get ahead.

Come on fellow Americans, we need to get it together. We weren’t born just to work, pay bills, and die. There’s so much more to life than that.

This is proof that many of us fail to live an intentional life realizing that our needs matter too.

It’s such a shame that this continues to happen in the United States year after year. Citizens of other countries around the world are well aware of the benefits of vacation, and they make a habit of taking extended holidays.

For example, full-time workers in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 28 days of paid leave per year. And employees in Brazil are entitled to 30 days of paid leave per year. That adds up to just over five weeks of vacation which far exceeds the two weeks many Americans get if they’re lucky.

I mean, there’s not a single employer out there who wants a staff full of exhausted, stressed, and burned-out workers. They certainly don’t advertise that when they have a job opening.

What employers want is high-energy, productive, and skilled employees, and taking regular vacation time makes people happier and healthier.

That’s why the benefits of vacation alone should encourage all businesses to provide extensive paid vacation time for their employees. And it would really help convince them to do so if they understood just how much taking time off positively impacts their employees on both a physical and psychological level.

Health Benefits of Vacation

In fact, there are many health benefits of vacation that you should be taking full advantage of.

Vacations increase:

• Happiness
• Sleep quality
• Energy
• Sense of calm
• Sense of well-being
• Focus
• Motivation
• Productivity
• Work-life balance
• Creativity
• Positive relationships
• Life expectancy
• Life satisfaction

And vacations decrease:

• Stress
• Burnout
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Blood pressure
• Risk of heart disease

Studies researching the health benefits of vacation have made it clear that they’re an important part of self-care. So it’s important that you get better at prioritizing them.

Doing so will make you a better employee, a better coworker, a better partner, a better parent, a better family member, and a better friend.

And who can argue with that?

Why Vacations are Important

The needs of your employer should never be the first thing you consider when it comes to taking time off from work.

The main reason why vacations are so important is that they benefit your physical health, mental health, and social interactions which drastically improves your overall quality of life. Plus, vacations give you a break from your normal obligations providing you with the rest that you really need.

When you get too wrapped up in work, maintaining households, and volunteering your time, you often forget to practice self-care regularly, you get burned out mentally, and you neglect your health. These things can all have long-lasting repercussions on your life.

Even worse, you may start putting the needs of your relationships last because, frankly, you’re too exhausted to add one more thing to your to-do list.

But when you take breaks often, you realize that what matters most to you are the relationships that you have with yourself and others. In fact, the reason you work so hard in the first place is that you want to build financial security for yourself and those you love the most.

When you understand this, it becomes easier to let go of excuses and to spend some much-needed time outside of work.

That is unless you hit the other major roadblock to using your vacation time which is getting so overwhelmed by vacation planning that you just decide not to go at all.

But let me assure you, vacation planning doesn’t have to be so stressful that you decide to avoid it entirely.

You just need to ask yourself what makes a good vacation in your mind and then keep it simple.

What Makes a Good Vacation

Everyone has a different idea about what makes the perfect vacation. Some people dream about lying on a beach with a frozen drink while others dream about the big city nightlife in a foreign country. The point is that there are no right or wrong ways to spend your time away from work.

The only things you truly need to make a good vacation are time away from your daily routine, enjoying new experiences, and getting some rest and relaxation. The location, the accommodations, and the expense are far less important than doing whatever makes you happy when it comes to vacationing.

A really good vacation includes:

• Spending time alone or with those you love
• Reconnecting with yourself and with others
• Disconnecting from work
• Disconnecting from other obligations
• Relaxing
• Getting quality sleep
• Eating delicious foods
• Drinking refreshing drinks
• Enjoying new experiences
• Meeting new people
• Exploring new areas
• Immersing yourself in new cultures
• Building new skills

But really good vacations don’t necessarily include:

• Spending a lot of money
• Traveling a great distance
• Over-scheduling activities
• Doing things that you’re not comfortable with

So basically, what makes a good vacation is entirely up to you. Whether you choose to take a cruise in the Caribbean, camp in a National Park, or enjoy a peaceful staycation in your own home, is really up to you.

The health and social benefits of vacation are just as sweet if you spend thousands of dollars or if you spend next to nothing.

Clearing out your savings account, bragging rights on social media, and coming home with an overloaded bag of souvenirs is not what makes a good vacation.

What makes a good vacation is taking the time to rest, enjoy the company of those you’re with, and make new memories you’ll always cherish.

So make a point this year to take a break from your normal routine. You owe it to yourself and your health.

Sources

• Allina Health: Importance of Taking Vacation
• American Psychological Association: Four reasons to take a vacation
• American Psychological Association: Vacation Time Recharges US Workers, but Positive Effects Vanish Within Days, New Survey Finds
• Deloitte: Labor Legislation for Brazilians
• Gov.UK: Holiday Entitlement
• Harvard Business Review: The Data-Driven Case For Vacation
• National Center For Biotechnology Information: Paid Sick Leave and Job Stability
• National Center For Biotechnology Information: Short Vacation Improves Stress-Level and Well-Being in German-Speaking Middle-Managers—A Randomized Controlled Trial
• Science Daily: Take a Vacation — It Could Prolong Your Life
• United States Department of Labor: Vacation Leave
• University of Massachusettes Amherst: The Benefits of Travel: Family and Relationships Review of Literature

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What do you want to do for your next vacation? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.