Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Written by Dr. Holly Ward

Vacation, had to get away!

Now that we’ve got The Go-Go’s playing in your head, let’s talk about vacation 🏖 It’s that time of year! School’s out, we have a few national holidays coming up, and folks are checking their PTO banks to plan a getaway. It’s not surprising that most of us associate summer with vacation: thanks to the U.S. school system’s legendary prolonged summer breaks, many of us fondly remember childhoods full of playing outdoors until the streetlights came on, chasing lightning bugs, staying up late to watch TV, gobbling ice cream bars and watermelon, and getting pruny at the neighborhood pool. Time slowed down, your regular routines were disrupted, and the long, lazy days of summer stretched before you full of possibility. No wonder that when the temperature starts to rise, we still feel a kind of yearning for something different from our daily rituals!

Summer vacations aren’t just a way to get a taste of youth unencumbered by responsibilities. They are proven to be important. Rest and time away from work increase resilience, which makes it easier to deal with challenges at work. Vacation can shift your perspective to help you see new solutions to problems, and it gives you a chance to pursue other goals and interests, like spending time with family, or exploring other cultures.

Research on elite athletes shows that rest enables them to perform at peak levels, and the same is true for us. Taking a vacation allows you to come back feeling refreshed and recharged with renewed focus. We see evidence of increased energy, higher job satisfaction, and an increased ability to process and reason through daily challenges following time off.

And not taking vacation has a cost. Several studies indicate that performance nosedives when we work for extended periods without a break.

The benefits of vacation are clear: it results in improved productivity, lower stress levels, and better overall mental health. Plus, it spurs greater creativity.

So take your vacation! And when you do, keep these tips in mind to get the most out of it:

• Get Away
  If you can afford it, do your best to get away from home—and from as many of your other responsibilities as possible. Vacation doesn’t need to entail extensive travel. The fun of it is going somewhere that is different from your daily life. It could be as simple as a short drive from home, an extended road trip, or an excursion to the other side of town. Getting away allows you to have a break from your daily routines and responsibilities, and gives you time in which you don’t need to make a lot of decisions. A change of scenery, no matter how far you go to get it, changes your perspective and refreshes your thinking.

• Choose Your Experience
  ”Ideal vacation” can mean a lot of different things depending on who you’re asking. Think about what your idea of recreation is. What allows you to recharge? What nourishes you? For some, it’s soaking up the sun by the water. For others, it’s a creative pursuit, exploring a new location, trying new cuisines, or engaging in an adventure sport. Once you know what type of experience you want to have, you’ll be able to narrow down potential destinations and activities. We all have a place that speaks to us and recharges us. And not every vacation you take will be the same! Perhaps some trips will focus on adventure while others will be spent relaxing and being still. Both experiences will help you refill your cup.

• Spend Time Outdoors
  Research shows that spending time in nature has both mental and physical benefits. Moreover, you can reap these benefits whether you’re in a national park or a city park, and in as little as two hours per week. Whether you’re traveling or staying close to home for vacation, build in time outdoors, whether that’s morning walks, skipping stones on a lake, watching the waves crash at the beach, or picnicking in a small park.

• Unplug
  A 2017 Glassdoor study found that two-thirds of Americans work on vacation. But studies have also shown that doing so negatively affects intrinsic motivation and makes us enjoy our work less. Unplugging from work is a huge part of what makes vacation feel like vacation. It’s down time for our brains from the barrage of cognitive demands that come with our jobs. It creates the space for creativity to emerge and allows us to be fully present with our families or travel partners. Reduce the temptation to check work emails or Slack channels. If you have your phone handy, shut off work-related notifications before you go. Some people even remove work-related apps from their phone entirely!

• Laugh, Listen, and Connect
  Practice being fully present with others as you experience your vacation. Whether it’s a traveling companion or someone you meet along the way, allow each interaction to enrich your life. Pay attention to the richness of connection with the people around you.

Work will be there when you return, but vacation will allow you to return to that work with more purpose, meaning, and enjoyment.

Now book that trip and have some fun!