Why Is It Important To Have Vacations To Disconnect?
Vacations have always been an important element of planning work and maintaining people’s health.
In fact, even in historical times as difficult as the Middle Ages, workers had their vacations to disconnect (as far as possible) and dedicate themselves to their things. AND Knowing the psychological benefits of going on vacation, it is not surprising In this article we will see what they are and why they are so important especially now, after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
The need to have vacations after a period of crisis
The coronavirus pandemic meets all the characteristics of a crisis of individual and social scope. People from practically all over the world have found themselves in the need to adapt not only to a health risk situation that affects us and our loved ones; Furthermore, we have needed to adopt our expectations and strategies to a society that has suffered a significant economic slowdown and has ended hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Both the effort involved in adapting to this hostile context and the anxiety linked to managing risks and foreseeing possible catastrophic situations (need to close a business, lose a grandparent, etc.) are factors of psychological exhaustion that we cannot ignore. Making it seem that we are the same emotionally after leaving the pandemic as before entering it is not only unrealistic, it is an assumption that can cause us many problems.
And it is that Resilience involves accepting that the situations we have gone through have taken their toll on us, so that we can do damage control. And one of the most effective ways is to disconnect during a vacation period.
The importance of being able to disconnect thanks to vacations
Assuming that vacations simply consist of an aspect of life linked to leisure and the subjectivity of enjoyment is to have an incomplete and biased vision of those days of rest. The vacation period has objective repercussions on both people’s well-being and their health and even in their performance at work when they return.
That is why companies with a long-term vision always give great importance to their workers being able to organize their vacations and have enough time to disconnect. It is not only a labor right, it is also an incentive, a way to retain talent within the team and a resource that helps maintain good productivity.
But let’s put ourselves in the point of view of someone who goes on vacation: what are the benefits that they directly obtain by being able to take a few days of respite outside the world of paid work? Let’s see it.
1. Helps combat rumination
Psychological rumination is that predisposition to attract to our mind again and again a thought that generates anxiety or worries us. During the holidays, we can get away from everything that is familiar to us in the work environment and disconnect in an almost literal way: If we go on a trip or move to a second residence, we will not expose ourselves to certain stimuli that make us think about our responsibilities, the stress of having to meet weekly goals, etc.
The parenthesis that opens during the vacation period helps us stop and reflect to reorganize our priorities, set medium and long-term goals and propose qualitative changes in our personal or professional life, without having to constantly postpone it due to tasks that otherwise require us (reports to send before the end of the day, phone calls to make, etc.).
3. Helps reorganize your sleep schedule
Lack of sleep is one of the most important factors of psychological exhaustion in many people who work, and having vacations helps to recalibrate the biological clock, given that we have more free time. Of course, to achieve it you have to put in the will: simply going on vacation doesn’t fix it.
4. Allows you to enjoy the company of loved ones more
Being able to count on friends and family more is not only pleasant; It is also good to be able to overcome difficult moments together and have the support of others.
5. It predisposes us to experiment and detect new interests and hobbies
Being able to explore new hobbies can make us win new significant projects for us: learn to play a musical instrument, design our garden, etc. These experiences act as sources of motivation that keep us going and reinforce our self-esteem.
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In Consultation Awakenings We have almost 10 years of experience in the field of mental health, and we work caring for people of all ages. We offer sessions both in our centers located in Madrid, Getafe, Leganés and Móstoles and through online therapy by video call.
