Have you heard of burnout? Who hasn’t, right. Even though most, if not all, people know of burnout at work, most people would also not recognize when it’s happening to them — until it’s too late. A lot of times, people think they’re exempt from overworking themselves. They often don’t realize how much strain they’re putting on themselves by never slowing down or taking a break. It can leave you exhausted outside of work hours and prevent you from enjoying your non-work life.
Plus, this doesn’t just affect your personal life. Constantly putting your nose to the grindstone can mean being less efficient and less effective at work. So why work so hard that you’re actually not as good at your job? According to Inc, taking time off is actually good for your brain. All this to say: you need to and should take a vacation, whether it’s a few short ones throughout the year or one big one.
It’s especially true if you’re in a position of management. If your reporting employees see their leaders never taking a break, they’ll feel that it’s the norm, and that they shouldn’t either. This means that you’ll have a team that’s tired, burnt out, and potentially even resentful.
Don’t be a hero — take a vacation. To help you out with that, below are three ideas for vacations you could take.
Staycation
If you aren’t sure where to go, then don’t go anywhere at all. Some people travel to your home city in order to vacation, so why not you? A staycation can be as simple or as luxurious as you’d like. You could rent a hotel for a night and go out to dinner, or you could get something for upscale for a few nights. Make sure you come up with a plan, though, otherwise you might just fall back in your old routine, according to The Kitchn. At the end of the day, it’s all about you. So just do whatever is going to be most relaxing for you.
Beach weekend
There’s just something about sitting on warm sand, watching the waves roll in, and not having a specific agenda or place to be besides right there. Especially if you live within driving distance of a shoreline, this is a great option to take a break from work and get away for awhile. They don’t have to require a huge budget, either. According to Homes.com, beaches in New Jersey give renters the most bang for their buck. In terms of plain rental amount, though, Cherry Grove, SC is the least expensive option per night. Wherever you choose and however much you spend, the beach is a perfect setting to let your work stress melt away.
The city you’ve always wanted to visit
Yeah, that one you’re thinking of right now. That place you’ve always had on your mind as somewhere you’d make it to “at some point.” Well, that point isn’t going to decide on itself — so why not this year? If you’re looking to plan a bigger trip, then there’s no time like the present. No one’s future is guaranteed, so you might as well start seeing those places you’ve always had on your dream vacation list (here are Conde Nast’s top 25). It’ll be easy to get your mind focused on something else besides work on this trip since it’s something you’ve anticipated for a long time. Plus then you’ll finally know what it’s like, and you can plan follow up trips based on the knowledge you gained from the first one.