How Vacations Can Decrease Your Stress Levels

Many people don’t take vacations often enough. And now with increasing frequency, when we do take vacations, we often bring work along with us, keeping ourselves essentially still in the work mindset we’re trying to escape. This is unfortunate for several reasons. Promote Creativity A good vacation can help us to reconnect with ourselves; operating as a vehicle for self-discovery and helping us get back to feeling our best. Stave Off Burnout Workers who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts. Can Keep You Healthy Taking regular time off to ‘recharge your batteries’, thereby keeping stress levels lower, can keep you healthier. Promote Overall Well being One study found that three days after vacation, subjects' physical complaints, their quality of sleep and mood had improved as compared to before vacation. These gains were still present five weeks later, especially in those who had more personal time and overall satisfaction during their vacations. Can Strengthen Bonds Spending time enjoying life with loved ones can keep relationships strong, helping you enjoy the good times more and helping you through the stress of the hard times Can Help With Your Job Performance The psychological benefits that come with more frequent vacations lead to increased quality of life, and that can lead to increased quality of work on the job. Vacations Relieve Stress in Lasting Ways It should come as no surprise that vacations that include plenty of free time bring stress relief, but research shows that a good vacation can lead to the experience of fewer stressful days at least five weeks later! That means that vacations are the gift to yourself that keeps on giving. The bottom line is that taking a good amount of time away from the stresses of daily life can give us the break we need so that we can return to our lives refreshed and better equipped to handle whatever comes. While not everyone is able to take a vacation, for those who can take several days or a few weeks off for a trip, I’ve compiled resources from some of our travel sites. These can help you plan the best type of trip for yourself so you can come back feeling ready for anything. For those who don’t have the time or money to take a ‘formal’ vacation, you can read about cheap vacations that will give you some creative ideas on how to get a nice break and enjoy the benefits of a vacation, for less. And don't forget the options of taking a stay-cation or play-cation, too.