Health & Wellness
4 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits Of Taking Holidays
Holidays recharge and reset our systems giving us the needed restorative energy to get more done.
Summer is usually the time most of us go away on holiday, especially those who live in temperate countries. We are all eager to enjoy the warmth of the sun, although holidays are available all year round, nevertheless, summer times are the most common.
Holidays are a way to recharge our system, so to speak, allowing us the opportunity to come back reinforced with renewed energy for more quality work-life.
The Science Of The Need For Rest
The World Health Organisation said long working hours are causing tremendous stress on people affecting their work-life balance. According to WHO, anything over forty hours per week is not good for health because of the risk of stroke, and other cardiovascular illnesses. WHO said middle-aged men are at higher risk.
As Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, who authored, ‘’REST: WHY YOU GET MORE DONE WHEN YOU WORK LESS’’, says
‘’Rest is not something that the world gives us. It’s never been a gift. It’s never been something you do when you have finished with everything else. If you want to rest, you have to take it. You have to resist the lure of busyness, make time for rest, take it seriously, and protect it from a world that is intent on stealing it.’’
Let us look at the four essential reasons for taking a holiday:
Holiday gives you time to catch up on sleep — have you ever been away, and you find yourself sleeping like you have not done before? That is the importance of taking time off work. Your body and mind have time to relax and give you the much-needed relaxation.
You can unplug in the real sense of the word — Imagine, all the mountains of email, continuous phone ringing, files, responses etc, laptops, desktops, earplugs etc. During our getaways, we can decide to ignore all these and give our minds a break away from these devices. Indeed, undo the to-do list. A study indicated that the cortisol level (stress hormone) drops significantly if we are on holiday, and not on standby at work. So it is important not to take your laptop on holiday, and if you do, don’t check your email.
Take shorter but more frequent holidays — If the idea of taking longer time off work is daunting, then you can take shorter more frequent holidays, with equal benefits. A study indicated that not taking time off work for a holiday put you at a high risk of Coronary heart disease, which can result in a heart attack.
Happiness levels during the holiday increase dramatically before reaching their peak on the 8th day indicating that the benefits for shorter breaks are worth it.
‘’As work weeks get longer, and leisure time shrinks, people are becoming sicker, more distracted, absent, unproductive and less innovative. But there is a possible antidote to this overwork pandemic, Embrace the restorative power of vacation.’’ Brigid Schulte
Getting away from your usual area boosts creative ideas — Many executives find out that getting away, especially from the usual work areas increases their creativity. The usual is the norm, but the roadless and unusual bring out your thinking hat as you observe in your mind.
Another related post by the same author:
The Takeaways
- Rest, a field that rested produces more fruits.
- The pandemic of overwork is a new pandemic that most people are unaware of.
- Simply planning a vacation boosts happiness up to 8 weeks before the trip.
- 212 million vacation days get forfeited annually because people see scantily staff and they ask for holidays as non-commitment.
DISCLAIMER
Although great research has gone into this post to give the true and genuine substance to it, nevertheless it does not still represent professional or health advice in any way. It is therefore given for readers’ information and entertainment only.
Please seek professional help regarding any health condition or concerns. Thank you.😑
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