Are your weekends are more like work-ends? Do you think vacations are for wimps and if you do take one, do you make sure your laptop, tablet and work phone goes with you?
Unfortunately, thinking this way puts you in the majority. But, as studies show, taking a vacation will make you happier, healthier, and more productive.
Terry Hartig, an environmental psychologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, has determined that when you are happier you will make others around you happier as well. This can definitely lower stress levels around you.
However, many people don’t take all their vacation days, leaving, by some estimates, 577 million unused days on the table every year. And even when they do, many say they take work along with them.
One long-term study found that men who don’t take vacations are 30% more likely to have heart attacks than those who do. For women, it’s 50%. Women who fail to take vacations are more likely to suffer from depression.
It’s time to give some serious thought about your vacation days, even if it’s only a few days away to clear your mind and get some much-needed rest.
• Really try not to work while on vacation. Schedule your vacation well in advance and block those dates as “out of office” so you avoid having regular work conflicting with your vacation desires. If the thought of going back to work stresses you out while you’re on vacation (or before you leave), plan to hit the ground running when you return with a few simple tricks like cleaning your home and desk before you leave and starting your day a little earlier so you have some alone time.
• If you have to work, don’t give up the idea of vacation entirely. Try setting aside small blocks of time that you’ll use to catch up on work and save the rest of the time for enjoying your vacation.
