Time off benefits both mind and body
- col-kate-shumaker
- May 6, 2024
- 173
There is no doubt we are a society on the move — lots of people going lots of places, more meetings than I care to count, email coming out my ears. The traditional 9-5 workday has bled into 24/7 availability with the use of cellphones and email. One survey revealed more than 30% of full-time employees report working on weekends and holidays. Even when we’re given time off, we’re still working. Ugh!
More than 50% of Americans give up at least some of their paid vacation time each year. In 2018 this totaled over 750 million unused vacation days.
Don’t let those vacation days go to waste. Use them. Take a trip. Take a day off here or there to get things done around the house. Take a day just for you. Taking time away from work has benefits for both your mind and body.
When our minds are overloaded, we might start to notice “brain fog” or mental fatigue, have a hard time concentrating, forget more easily, and have a harder time solving problems. Additionally, an overloaded mind can make it more difficult to sleep. Taking time away from work allows our minds to unwind and “unclutter.” This lets us think more clearly and creatively.
Consider this: On a typical workday, we are surrounded by incoming message alerts, ringing phones, people talking, to-do lists, et cetera — a lot of “mental noise.” If we are away (at home doing something quiet, on the beach, on a hike, planting flowers) letting our minds wander, just image where it could lead.
The same goes for sleep. Many people live with daily sleep deprivation or sleep debt. Not enough sleep can often result in a cycle of negative mood and more challenges with sleep. Time away from work allows us to catch up on sleep. Even getting an extra hour of sleep can have cognitive impacts. Taking a few days away can help you reset your sleep patterns.
I haven’t even mentioned the “S” word yet — stress. No one has stress at work, right? I thought so. Not worth talking about. Stress from work can result in increased levels of cortisol and epinephrine, the stress hormones we feel in fight or flight mode. These hormones suppress our immune systems. Taking time away from work — and actually relaxing — can allow our bodies to reset these hormones and the immune system back to normal levels. Allowing stress hormones to stay elevated over time puts us at risk of not only catching the latest “bug” going around, but also makes us more at risk to serious illnesses like cancers and heart disease.
So when is your next vacation? Taking time off increases creativity, happiness and productivity. Taking shorter, more frequent vacations seems to be more beneficial than super long ones. Let the positive benefits of your vacation ripple into your work and family life once you return. Return with a renewed sense of perspective and openness to new ideas. Remember you deserve your vacation time and be kind to yourself. This is part of self-care for your well-being.
Kate Shumaker is an OSU Extension family and consumer sciences educator and may be reached at 330-674-3015. Like and follow on Facebook @OSUEXTHolmes or visit at https://holmes.osu.edu.