Why You Need a Vacation

Why You Need a Vacation

Oct-20-2014

Key West

FACT: An annual holiday can cut the risk of heart attack in men by 30 percent and in women by 50 percent.

In this fast-paced, all-access age, it’s more important than ever to dedicate some time to yourself. However, only 14 percent of Americans take a vacation of two weeks or more each year.

It’s starting to show. Families, students and employees who take time off from home, work, school and the daily routine are happier, get sick less often, have better heart health and reduce stress. Those who don’t age much more quickly because of a stress hormone, cortisol, and they feel a general sense of drudgery throughout the year.

A vacation doesn’t have to be planned to the last detail or taken somewhere exotic. Two weeks away from your everyday life can have a significant impact on your health, well-being and state of mind.

According to Joe Robinson, author of Work to Live, time off is medicine. Studies show that vacations are as important as watching your cholesterol or getting exercise. An annual holiday can cut the risk of heart attack in men by 30 percent and in women by 50 percent. Vacations have been shown to cure burnout, the last stage of chronic stress, epidemic in today's 24-7 lifestyles. Time away from the source of stressors helps re-gather crashed emotional resources, such as a sense of mastery and social support. But here's the catch: It takes two weeks for that process to occur. You can't get those recuperative benefits from a long weekend.
 
Quality leisure is a major stress buffer, shielding us from the fray of the day. Researchers have demonstrated that aerobic leisure activities can reduce depression as well as anxiety (W. Morgan). It does that by pumping up the fun and competence. Participant leisure experiences also increase positive mood and build a sense of mastery, a buoyant stroke in a chaotic world. The supposedly nonproductive realm of leisure can also improve self-esteem, reduce loneliness and deliver the prize at the top of the psychological food chain, self-actualization—tapping your potential with optimal performance. Outdoor adventurers get even more of the good stuff.
 
The recharge from a vacation also refuels your work. A study showed how vacations boost energy reserves so that you need less effort to get work done when you return. Self-reported job performance is "significantly higher after a vacation," notes respite expert Dov Eden of the University of Tel Aviv. Counter to the prevailing bravado myth, productivity is not a function of how long or torturously you work. In the knowledge economy, the source of true productivity is a refreshed and energized mind.
 
Above all, though, vacations help us see through the time-is-money hoax that keeps life on hold by placing all value and self-worth on production, on dollars-per-minute of output, and none on the input—living. What we learn in a vacation rental or second home is that time itself is the most valuable currency.

So, what do you have to lose? At Bella Casa Properties, we have homes in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Key West, Florida that are perfect for a vacation away from it all that’s not that far away. Visit http://bellacasaproperties.net/vacation-rentals/ for photos and details, and contact us at 501-352-1149 for more info.