The Unexpected Mental Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation

Are you a no-days-off workhorse, or do you like to take it easy? Whether you’re laid back and mellow or are always putting the pedal to the metal, you need to rest every now and then. Taking a vacation may seem like a luxury to many, but it’s actually a necessity. Now, we all vacation differently, whether you want to go snowboarding, mountain climbing, or simply relax on the beach with a few drinks and a good book, taking a vacation comes with many health benefits. You may think your body is fine; it’s accustomed to hard work and doesn’t need the rest, but what about your mind?

Vacations offer a multitude of mental health benefits that you may not be aware of.

 

Reduce Stress and Anxiety

In this day and age, jobs are tough. You’re always within reach by email, instant messaging, and phone calls, which makes it hard to get away. You can’t leave work at the office as you once could; it follows you home, and if you’re devoted or passionate about your job, you can’t make it wait till the next day. This incessant wears on you. Your stress levels don’t get an opportunity to drop back down to normal levels, and it can, in extreme cases, cause anxiety. Anxiety attacks can come out of nowhere and leave you with a queasy stomach, elevated heart rate, and unnatural level of alertness. Vacations combat all these feelings.

Going on vacation, to someplace sunny and relaxing, preferably far from work, can be a great way to disconnect from your working world. The folks over at DestinFlorida.com show us that places famous for beach parties and nightclubs can offer you a world of fun that you don’t expect. You can forget your daily duties, break your routine, create some space between you and your coworkers and clients, and enjoy life to its fullest — eliminating your stresses and any anxiety associated with it.

 

Reduce Depression

Maybe you don’t feel stressed or anxious, maybe you feel down in the dumps and depressed, oftentimes work can create a monotony that sucks the joy out of life. Many office workers report feeling depressed due to work. Now, this could be caused by a variety of factors like an unfulfilling job, but it could simply be due to being overworked and exhausted. A study conducted with 800 participants showed that vacation, even a short one, helped reduce depression amongst office workers. While routine is good and beneficial in many ways, breaking it can be just as helpful. Time away from your 9-to-5 can help you see life in a different light and reduce any darkness you may be feeling. Consider taking even a short four-day vacation to combat life’s blues. 

 

Improve Mood

Are you always cranky? Do the smallest things spike your blood pressure and send you into a fit of rage? Maybe it’s not that bad, and you’re just very irritable. This can easily be attributed to being overworked. You need time away. You need to step back, change your environment, and see new people and do new things. Taking a vacation can help improve your mood tremendously. You can live life in luxury and pamper yourself or do something fun and exciting to get your blood flowing.

Whatever it is, you do to bring yourself joy for a few days while away from work can help improve your mood. Taking a vacation may help your outlook on things so much you even just might miss work. With an improved mood, you can go back to work with stories for your workmates and excitement to be back in your daily routine. Taking even just a short 3-4 day vacation can help improve your mood drastically.

 

We all understand how days off or vacations can help our bodies. They offer us a chance to rest the body, recuperate from any work stresses, and maintain our health. However, we seldom consider the copious mental health benefits of taking time off. But having a healthy mind and a positive outlook on life can improve our physical well being.

Take time off to reduce the stress of your job, combat any anxiety you may be experiencing, reduce any depression you may feel, and improve your overall mood. After the right vacation, you will feel refreshed, energized, and mentally sound, which will give you an added advantage on the job and improve the quality of your life.