why-take-a-vacation

7 Imperative Reasons why you must take a vacation ASAP

Call it a Vacation, a Holiday, travel, tour  or a journey, taking time off can’t be avoided.  You, me – we all need to take vacations every once a while, to relax, enjoy ourselves, replenish ourselves with new ideas and energies. Sadly not everyone does, according to a survey almost 40% Americans don’t use their vacations. May it be laziness, workload or lack of planning, most of us ignore taking a nice, refreshing vacation.  Many also postpone or cancel their holidays or skip on paid holidays, just to prove better at work.

Well, today we are just going to talk about that! Here are 7 reasons why you should take a vacation now. And some of them are well studied and scientifically proven. Even if you disagree, I urge you to take at least one short vacation. Pretty please ^_^

1. Your Brain and Body will kill for it
Taking a significant time off from your daily routine, will not only help you re-energize but also improve your overall health. Your brain and body are craving for a holiday, but you just keep ignoring it. According to the New York Times, employees taking four weeks of vacations were the most productive during their work time.
A study was done at Florida State University, also emphasizes the importance of intervals. The study took a look at professional athletes, chess players, and musicians. The study found out that the best performances included short breaks in between. They also notice that most successful players and performers work no more than five hours a day.
Many experts also agree, that quality of work is far greater than the quantity of work. And great quality comes from proper rest and peace of mind.
Some researchers have also pointed out that regular holidays and vacations improve overall mental and physical health of employees. So go and grab that spa or body massage you always wanted!

2. Improve your skills
Since, you are on holiday. Your brain is completely relaxed and has adequate time to focus on more important processes such as improving already learned skills by forming new neural connections. Hundreds of studies have shown that brain forms new neural connections, While it is at rest during sleep. Formation of this so-called new neural connections not only enhances one’s abilities but also helps him or her sharpen already learned skills.
Regular holidays also increase positive hormones and decrease stress, anxiety, and depression causing hormones. These bad hormones also affect brain function and memory negatively.
If you’re having trouble with the new project in your office, the best way to solve it is to study as much as you can and then take a brief holiday- relax for a while. you will notice a great improvement and find the right solution for your problem.

3. Solve Problems like a Boss
Solving problems creatively and quickly are the biggest requisites of any endeavor or job. Especially if you’re working in the corporate world or work involving critical thinking, holidays can be your life-saviors. Great problem-solving is related with complicated brain processes and activities.
When you are constantly focused on work or one task for too long, our brains are clouded with this overload of information. Many counters this boredom with a shot of espresso. But that doesn’t solve the underlying problem, your brain needs to take rests to process the information and make the right decisions.
If you allow your brain to take long enough breaks during your work, you will have many “Aha!” Moments and better insight to your situations and problems. also, your creativity level will rise, allowing you to solve problems like a boss.

4. Say goodbye to stress and depression
If you have ever felt “what am I doing with my life? Why am I here? What is the purpose of all this? Am I really achieving my potential? Or am I just wasting my life? Will I ever be happy? Truly happy? ” Then you are in sudden need of a holiday. Many studies have shown that more vacations one takes, the happier one will be. “The more the merrier.”
Minor Depression is an inevitable part of our  lives, it is not at all harmful. However, chronic or clinical depression is completely different thing.  A famous Dutch study has shown that people who take more vacations are far happier than those who do not. Mainly, because vacationers are excited about the journey, exploring new places and being with their families. The study also suggested that during stressful work hours, some of these beautiful holiday memories will keep them motivated and focused.
Taking a short holiday also shows that there is something more to life, something more than just work and stressful deadlines. Your inner faith in life will restore, you will never feel down again.
It is also advisable to take holidays on weekends or at least two or three times a year. Spread the happiness!

5. Find Motivation to Work Harder
According to a study by Jennifer Deal, It is easier to get distracted and get buried under an immense amount of work pressure, if you haven’t had any vacation in past six months. It is also common to lose the ability of critical thinking and decision-making, and enthusiasm for work – after a long regular work schedule, without any holidays.
Center for creative leadership, also found out that, employees feel bored by their work , come back energized and passionate about their work- working even harder than before.
Taking a break  is very critical for companies survival and business. A short break or holiday allow you to clear your mind, and to see past imminent future making you better at your job and increasing your performance ratings.

6. Broaden your Horizon
widen your Horizon, experience and immerse yourself in completely different cultures. Learn to think outside of the box and let the creative new ideas come to you. Multicultural experiences acquired during trips abroad and holidays, foster livelihood, creativity and amazing quality into your life and work. You suddenly start to realize that there is much more to life than just work. You also begin to understand other people’s perspectives and be a better person overall.
Many studies have concluded that having at least a week of multicultural experience will boost a person’s creativity and broaden his/hers horizons. And your argument for Working abroad being same as holidays abroad is completely Don’t even talk about it.
Also on your way back home, you would’ve already found answers to those difficult question and concerns that you were worried about. Holidays also unlock your ability to understand the same problem from different perspectives and find the best solution.

7. Appreciate Life & Enjoy the Moment
We, humans somehow tend to only appreciate the things which we don’t have. We only realize true value when something is lost, taken away from us. One of the many important lessons of holiday teaches us, is to be thankful for what you have. We all crave for public lives, six-figure salaries, holidays in the Caribbeans, lavish lifestyle and perfect kids. But in pursuit of this so-called “ideal life”, we fail to realize that nobody is perfect, no-one’s life is perfect. We have the best we can get and we should be thankful for that.
During the holidays,You might also realize that life is full of uncertainty. No one can predict what is going to happen next moment, let alone the next year or 10 years in the future. Holidays and vacations remind us that life is not all about past or future. We spend so much time remembering good/bad memories of our past and daydreaming about our bright, beautiful future but we never have time to enjoy the moment. Worries of future and guilt of past cloud our present. As a result , we are not able to focus 100% on our life, work or family.
Holidays also provide a great opportunity to catch up with the family. Create new memories and remember the old ones. freely Laugh on the cuteness of your kids and enjoy tiny joys of life. Spend some time watching a sunset or talking about how you met with your significant other. Fill yourself with positivity and energy, say goodbye to stress, worries, and negativity. Live fully.

Finally, Holidays will help you to catch up with reality, understand and explore your hidden desires and hobbies. You will be a completely different person, even after the shortest outings!

It doesn’t have to be Expensive:

The most important part about vacations and holidays is that they don’t always have to be expensive. You can also have great travel experiences on a budget as well. Most of the companies provide at least one paid holiday every year to all of their employees.You can also save regularly from your salary or make other financial arrangments. Remember, All you need is, will not money!

You Can Recharge

Recharging your batteries is a must if you want to be successful in your daily life and projects. Burn out is real and while you may just be barely coasting along, the quality of your life and relationships may be suffering. Traveling lets you forget about your worries and due dates and relax enough so that you can pick up where you left off feeling more energized.

You Will Learn

Whether you sit on a beach in the islands or take a cultural tour through Asia, you are bound to learn a little bit of something on your trip. Education shouldn’t finish at school and when you travel, you get to continue deepening your understanding of the world.

You Will Meet New People

It’s hard to meet people when life has us so busy. However, travel makes people feel open, relaxed and interested in engaging with new and interesting people around them. You might just end up with a few new friends from places all around the world after you head home from vacation.

You Will Make Quality Memories

You may forget those afternoons in coffee shops with friends or taking the kids to the mall but you won’t ever forget sailing around the Greek islands. Between the photos, videos and the unforgettable events, you and your family will remember the vacation fondly.