Escape the Busyness and Benefit From a Vacation
Photo by Vaida Tamošauskaitė on Unsplash
Our family was exhausted . . . my husband, our kids, all of us.
We had been going non-stop for months with a heavy work and school load. Not only were our weekdays full, but our weekends were also busy with soccer games and other extracurricular activities. Running from one end of town to the next with a van-load of kids is anything but restful.
Can you relate?
We all seem to be victims of the tyranny of busyness. We are all caught unknowingly in the vicious cycle.
The French have a familiar saying for this vicious cycle. “Metro, boulot, do do.” “Metro, work, sleep.” In other words, go to work, work all day, collapse in bed at night from work exhaustion, then start the routine all over again the next day. What a life!
In spite of these non-stop days, the French also have a 35-hour work week, 25 paid vacation days a year, 11 paid holidays a year, and multiple paternity and maternity leave options.
Why would a country allow its employees this much vacation time?
Is it because they understand the benefits of time off?
Health Benefits of Vacationing
According to C. Aron, author of Working At Play: A History of Vacations in the United States, the word “vacation” was originally used to refer to students on their break from classes. As the word transitioned into other realms in the early 1800’s, vacations quickly morphed to include recreational activities—beginning with resorts focused on the health benefits of a vacation.
Some of the health benefits of vacation include:
1. Decreased Heart Disease:
“The National Institute of Health’s Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute conducted a study on 12,000 men over a nine-year period who had a high risk for coronary heart disease. The study found that those who took frequent annual vacations were 21 percent less likely to die from any cause and were 32 percent less likely to die from heart disease.”
“The landmark Framingham Heart Study—the largest and longest-running study of cardiovascular disease—revealed that men who didn't take a vacation for several years were 30 percent more likely to have heart attacks compared to men who did take time off.”
2. Decreased Depression:
The University of Pittsburgh’s Mind Body Center found that leisure activities and vacation time increased positive emotional levels and lessened depression.
3. Less Stress:
A study by the American Psychological Society found that vacations reduce stress levels by removing people from the work environments and contexts that are the main sources of stress.
4. Improved Productivity:
“Ernst & Young conducted an internal study of its employees and found that, for each additional 10 hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance ratings improved 8 percent, and frequent vacationers also were significantly less likely to leave the firm.”
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Personal Benefits of Vacationing
1. Reconnecting with ourselves:
Sometimes, it takes getting away to find a quiet space to experience inner reflection and renewal. It’s also fun to have extra time to explore old and new hobbies and activities that we don’t often experience.
2. Reconnecting with our spouse:
Escaping the “normal routine” of work and other activities can provide much-needed time and space for a long-overdue “date night” and heart-to-heart conversations.
3. Reconnecting with our family:
There’s nothing like an exhilarating hike in the mountains, laughter in the swimming pool, or jumping in the waves to have fun with your kids. Sometimes we have to get away in order to give ourselves permission to play again as a family.
4. Building memories:
When we all get out the house, leave behind our same old routine, and throw out our daily “to do” lists, we can finally spend quality time together as a couple, as a family, or as friends. This creates powerful opportunities to bond and builds a storehouse of memories in our hearts and minds to last a lifetime.
5. Renewed vision:
Getting into a new space provides a change of scenery and fresh perspective. We may discover new dreams birthing or find solutions to problems where we were “stuck” before. New environments make creating new neural pathways (thinking) easier.
Photo by Sarah Medina on Unsplash
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Intentionality
For those of us who don’t live in France or another country that allows four weeks of paid vacation, taking “time off” won’t just happen on its own. We have to consciously and intentionally break the cycle and step off the fast-spinning hamster wheel of our lives.
Like napping, we have to push the “pause” button in our lives. Oftentimes, however, we need a much longer “pause” in our lives. We need more than an afternoon siesta. We need more than a “day off.” We need a vacation. It’s that simple.
The Humility of Rest
When you hear the word “vacation,” what comes to mind? Do you dream of taking a week-long cruise to the Bahamas? Do you imagine a quiet retreat or walk on the Mediterranean at sunset where you can be refreshed? Or, rather, do you feel guilt and stress creeping in? Do you wonder how in the world you could possibly take a break and step away from your overwhelming workload and never-ending to-do list?
Like napping, there seems to be some stigma attached to taking a vacation.
Do you think people who go on vacation are lazy, unproductive, worldly, and selfish?
What about wise? Humble? Do those words come to mind when you hear the word “vacation?”
Maybe those who intentionally stop the craziness of their lives to rest are the smart ones. They realize that the to-do list will never be fully scratched off—the workload will always be there. They are wise to stop themselves before their heavy workload stops them dead in their tracks, before they run smack into the wall of burnout.
Maybe those who intentionally jump off the spinning hamster wheel are humble enough to realize that they can’t keep spinning. They are not superhuman. They are human—without superpowers—and they need a break. They need a vacation.
I was browsing Fast Company’s online magazine and saw an article title that caught my attention: “Think You Can't Take A Vacation? The Sound Business Reasons You Really Should.” As I read the article, I was struck by several of the reasons mentioned for taking a vacation: modeling, empowering others, and humility.
Surprisingly, resting from labor is related to humility. Our bodies, minds, and souls are not omni-anything. We simply can’t do it all.
This week, I spoke on the subject of rest with a regional leader of a large company working in North Africa. As we spoke, he shared that he had not been able to model well the importance of rest in his leadership during a recent 3-year period of regional crises and leadership transitions. He commented that it wasn’t surprising that it was hard to find a replacement for himself and to recruit others to join in sharing his leadership load. He was concerned that his poor example of rest during this period of overload was part of the problem. He added, “Who would want my job?!”
Photo by Vaida Tamošauskaitė on Unsplash
Let’s Be the First
Perhaps we need to be the first in our families and in our workplaces to model humility. We can acknowledge and share with others our limitations by taking breaks and real vacations. Our actions may also clearly speak to others about their own very real need to stop, rest, and refuel. Maybe they will decide to follow suit.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to set an example. I’m ready to clear some space in my busy calendar and book a vacation.
There’s a humorous commercial by booking.com that used to play on American television. It said, “Some of us dream about our next vacation, but some of us turn those dreams into action! The bookers!” The bookers are the ones who actually put feet to their ideas—who take action.
Today, I’m going to “book” my vacation! What about you?'
Guest author, Marci Renée, along with her French husband and four boys, is a global nomad who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has lived in the United States, France, Morocco, and Spain. She loves to travel, speak foreign languages, experience different cultures, eat ethnic foods, meet people from faraway lands, and of course, write and tell stories. She is a published author of children's picture books, memoirs, short stories, and poetry.
You can find Marci and her books on her website.
"The Cultural Story-Weaver," at www.culturalstoryweaver.com