Vacations Are Good Medicine For The Body And Soul
by Sheila McCormick on June 9th, 2007
Loading ...Many Americans who wouldn’t dream of missing their yearly health physical routinely put their health at risk by skipping annual vacations. The lack of downtime puts them at higher risk for a variety of ailments, including heart disease. As one cardiologist put it: “When my patients tell me they can’t afford to take a vacation, I tell them they can’t afford not to.”
Medical researchers and large corporations are beginning to understand the importance of employees striking the right balance between work and their home life. Often referred to as “work /life balance,” corporations are encouraging high-performing employees to take their time off so that they don’t burn out. Vacations contribute to sound physical and mental health, both of which are needed for an employee to achieve peak performance.
According to a study conducted by Oxford Health Plans about one in five working men and women report feeling so overworked that they are not able to use up all of their vacation time. The American Management Association reports that only about a third of executives are willing to get away from work for more than one week at a time. What’s more, when American executives do take vacations, they are very liable to take their work with them, checking email and voice mail regularly and using cell phones. The unwillingness to take vacations comes from a deep-rooted cultural belief that “not working” is a bad thing. In Europe, most workers take three or more weeks of vacation per year.
Brooks Gump, PhD from the department of psychology at New York State University, has conducted studies that show that the frequency of heart disease is greater among men who don’t take vacations. Gump’s study showed that men who took vacations had a significantly less risk of dying of heart disease (or any other condition) than men who did not. These studies suggest that American employers who make it a practice to monitor employees who take too much time off would do well to also monitor those who work too much. It could save them money in healthcare costs and productivity.
Vacations restore health by reducing stress which is a known risk factor for a variety of diseases. Aside from the removal of stress, vacations offer soul-enhancing benefits that come from spending quality time with family and friends.
Nearly one in five working women report taking a vacation only once in the past six years. The odds of being depressed increased as the frequency of vacation decreased. Women who took vacations only once in six years thought their home life was negatively affected by work and they reported feeling tired almost all of the time.
Getting away does not have to mean an expensive cruise or a trip to a pricy beach resort. The key is to find a setting that will allow you to leave all of your worries behind. If you can’t get away for a week or two at a time, then a series of short excursions and enjoyable activities or driving nowhere in particular can be a fun adventure for the entire family. Camping and B&B’s offer affordable options.
The critical issue is that too many of us are running around in circles, never allowing ourselves time to reflect and think about what really matters most in our lives. Life is not all about working. As the saying goes: “I never heard anybody on their death bed say they wish they had spent more time at the office.”
What are you waiting for? Pack the bags and relax for a few days. Your body and your soul will thank you for it.
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