Time to Rethink Your Lack of Vacations
Taking a much-needed break from your busy life in the form of a vacation is a great way to alleviate the daily tension that builds up. Just planning a holiday can help get your mind off of the stress you have been experiencing. Fantasizing about where you are going to go and what you are going to do while you are there will clear your mind and take you away from challenging problems.
Why Traveling is a Good Way to Release Stress?
To create the life you have dreamt of, having stable and good mental health is crucial. Whether you have been stuck in a rut for a while now, or haven’t had the energy to plan a vacation, here are some reasons why traveling is a beautiful way to release stress.
Travel Strengthens Bonds with Loved Ones
Taking a vacation can be a special chance for all your family members to deepen their love and the connection they share with you by chatting, eating, sleeping, and just exploring together. Spending time celebrating the beauty of life with your loved ones will allow you to maintain good relationships with them, and appreciate the value of happier days by finding a new perspective to deal with the burden of tough times.
Just imagine renting an RV for a week and spending all your time with your loved ones, reigniting all that lost connection and rediscovering yourself. Sounds heavenly, right?
Helps Fend Off that Burnout and Improve Productivity
In our relentless pursuit for productivity, we sometimes end up overestimating our abilities to handle our work consistently at optimal levels. By doing a lot of work in a short amount of time, we are usually trying to get ahead of our coworkers and be more efficient. However, we don’t realize that almost always, overworking ends in burnout.
On the other hand, people who take frequent holidays and travel end up feeling more active and productive than those who don’t. Vacations refresh your mind and spirit and help you focus on your goals better by improving your productivity.
Boosts Your Emotional Wellbeing
Vacations can also contribute towards improving your emotional wellbeing by helping reduce symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Taking a vacation can boost morale and relieve mental health problems by getting you away from challenging jobs and lifestyles.
It doesn’t always have to be a month-long vacation – even a quick, three-day holiday can do the trick.
Promotes Creativity and Exploration
Going on a holiday is a great way to try to reconnect with yourself. A vacation acts as a tool for self-discovery, so you can feel your best again. Traveling allows you to discover new locations and experience new things.
Our world is packed with beauty, mystery and wonder. All you need to do to discover it is open yourself up and see what fascinates you about nature, plants, and places – basically anything that sparks your interest and makes you feel creative.
To get the most out of your vacation, consider renting an RV, because not only is an RV road trip a great way to reconnect and recharge, you will also get time to catch up on your reading or podcasts.
Brings You Closer to Nature
When we go to different places full of natural wonders, the spirit, body, and soul revitalize in a way you have never experienced before.
We already know that fresh air, sunlight, and just a change in the weather can do wonders for our mental and physical health. And without having to worry about your work, you are free to explore and get close to nature, which is a great way to tone down your stress levels.
Scientific Health Benefits of Travel
Going on a holiday is a great way to say “enough is enough” and learn how to place your needs and wants first, which is so important for health and wellbeing. Don’t just take our word for it! Scientists have conducted several studies that prove that taking a vacation and getting away from your stressful job has a lot of physical and psychological health benefits, some of which are discussed next.
Reduction of Stress Levels
Research conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2015 concluded that holidays are supposed to alleviate tension by distracting people from their stressful habits and experiences.
Similarly, yet another study by the University of Vienna indicates that holidays lead to less physical distress due to stress, and help get rid of adverse conditions such as headaches, backaches, and heart problems. Even five weeks later, those who had traveled to their heart’s content felt better than ever.
Reduced Risk of Heart Attack
Taking the chance to rest and spend time with your loved ones can decrease the threat of a heart attack.
A survey showed that men who had avoided taking a holiday for five straight years were 35% more likely to suffer from heart diseases as compared to those who had taken at least a week off every year. Correspondingly, another report found that women who take holidays once every six years or even less were nearly 8 times more likely to experience a heart attack, heart failure, or die of cardiovascular diseases, as compared to women who took at least 2 holidays a year.
Improved Immune System
Ernst & Young, a technical services company, carried out an internal staff report and discovered that their year-end success scores rose 8% due to every 10 hours of extra vacation time taken by employees. Moreover, regular travelers were far less likely to abandon the business because they weren’t forced to take more sick days and experience burnouts.
Taking a break at least once a year allows the body to develop stronger antibodies, thereby enhancing your immune system and improving your resistance to certain diseases.
Better Sleep
Restless hours and sleep deprivation are frequent challenges faced by almost everyone — mostly when we have so much weighed on our shoulders and minds.
Studies prove that holidays can help you get away from patterns that disrupt your sleep, such as working late into the night or browsing on a backlit television before sleep.
Types of Vacations You Can Take for Mental Health Improvement
Here are three of the most common types of vacations to help you decide which holiday is right for you.
A Camping Trip
Reconnecting with nature is a perfect way to spend your time off, especially if you are an outdoor person. And what better way to do that than spending some time with Mother Nature on a camping trip? This holiday is perfect for someone who isn’t afraid of a little mess and wants to get back to the very basics of life.
An RV Road Trip
There isn’t anything as great as taking a well-deserved road trip with your family and loved ones. Rent an RV and enjoy the flexibility of going wherever you want, bringing whatever you want, and going wherever the road takes you. We can’t think of a more stress-releasing trip than this!
A Trip Abroad
What’s the most appealing and intriguing form of vacationing? You guessed it – visiting new places and exploring interesting destinations! On a trip abroad, you not only get to get out of your comfort zone and experience something unfamiliar, but you also get to discover new cultures, foods, architecture, history, traditions and so many other things you have only admired in books and movies!
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that taking your time away from the pressures of work and everyday life will certainly improve your physical and emotional wellbeing, your performance at work, your relationships with your loved ones and your success at your job. A vacation trip will certainly improve your potential, all the while giving you that much-needed break you needed to de-stress from your everyday life and work.