What is it about Vacations that everyone loves so much?
For us, Vacations mean TIME.
Time to spend with your family, getting to really know who they are, and letting them get to know the real you.
Time that is yours; not your bosses, not your companies, and not your bills time. YOUR TIME.
Vacation Time is time to relax and unwind. Let your guard down. Sleep in, and move at your own pace.
Time to explore and learn new things. Time to see sights, and make memories.
Time to share laughter and tell stories.
Stop thinking and worrying….Start being.
That’s why Vacations not only let you reset, but actually make an improvement to your health. There are a number of scientific backed benefits of taking vacations.
Here are a few:
LOWER STRESS
It’s no secret that the day to day grind of our complex work focused lives contributes to greater levels of stress. More Work = More Stress. Less Work or Time Off From Work = Less Stress – pretty simple to understand.
However, for those that need Scientific Evidence of this, please note that multiple scientific studies performed by the American Psychological Association have concluded that vacations work to reduce stress by removing people from the activities and environments that they associate with stress and anxiety (i.e. your jobs).
Amazing.
BETTER RELATIONSHIPS
The key to successful relationships is spending time with other people. Preferably, meaningful time. Unfortunately, our personal lives often play second fiddle to our busy professional lives.
How often have you told your kids you can’t play with them now or do something they want to do together because you have work? How many games, activities, teacher meetings have you missed because your boss wanted you to get something done?
We’re not just talking about kids here either.
How many times have you told your spouse you were too busy, or too exhausted to take a walk together, or cook a meal together?
How many times have you PASSED UP SEX because you needed to just rest?
A vacation allows us time to reconnect with the people we actually want to have in our lives. Traveling is especially good for deepening bonds between people: vacations are quality time for relationships and shared experiences, good and bad, help bring people together.
BETTER MENTAL HEALTH
Brain function is not fixed; it is both malleable and adaptable to change. Your brain can form new connections, and produce new cells as well as sculpt existing connections to be more efficient.
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change over time because of one’s life experiences and thinking patterns.
Neuroscientists have found that brain structure is altered by chronic exposure to the stress hormone cortisol, which can be a major contributing factor to anxiety and depression. Feelings of calm arise from time away from work and relieve stress, which allows the body and mind to heal in ways that it couldn’t if it were still under pressure.
Additionally, consider your daily routines. Generally, we find ourselves on repeat, doing the same thing over and over. That doesn’t allow us much mental flexibility; we’re less likely to be spontaneous or creative, especially in heavily routinized jobs. And when we are asked to be creative, we’re likely to find that we’re tapped out; our brains are tired. Just as vacation gives our bodies a break, it also gives our minds a chance to recharge and create new connections. This is especially true when we get out and explore. Making our own schedules, being spontaneous and learning new things actually energize our brains, giving us new experiences to analyze.
BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE
An exhausted mind is a dull mind, whereas rested minds tend to be more creative, which allows you to come up with new and inventive ways to solve problems. Additionally, being rested also gives us the mental resilience to keep working, even under stress, which can help us achieve goals or meet deadlines.
When you’re more productive, you’re happier, and when you’re happier, you excel at what you do.
Take 1 step back, and take 5 steps forward.
BETTER SLEEP
The benefits of a good night’s sleep cannot be overstated. Numerous studies time and again have linked a good nights sleep to less depression, better memory concentration and focus, a lower body mass index, better regulation of blood sugar, and even better skin.
Restless nights and disrupted sleep are common complaints–often stemming from the fact that we simply have too much on our minds. When we can’t stop the chatter it affects our sleep.
Researchers say, that vacations can help interrupt the habits that disrupt sleep, like working late into the night or watching a backlit screen before bed. If you have stress from work and you find your sleep is disrupted because of anxiety or tension, take time off and learn to reset your sleep pattern.
Imagine being able to reap these benefits year round.
Take the leap & begin living the Vacation Lifestyle today and finally have some TIME.
