Click title for article - The Importance of Vacations, for Stress Relief, Productivity and Health.
30 years ago, I was in the banking business. Being a work-a-holic, you can understand how banking would be my whole life, at that time. Some people are more into marriage, more into having families, and some, consume their whole life with working. That's me. Add perfectionist to that, and you can have double stress that you put on yourself.
Even with the normal every day stresses of work and work deadlines, I still love work. It keeps my mind going; it actually keeps me out of trouble (mind wonder). However, even a work-a-holic needs a break. Time to regroup; time to refocus; time to have time to think; time to figure out how to put new ideas into play.
At home, if one is like me, a work-a-holic doesn't have time to think, cause they are always working; moving from project to project. And though one loves work, you get burn out or over the top frustrated/stressed.
The sad part is, when a work-a-holic doesn't realize this about themselves. That they too, are not a super person (man or woman). One can't function 24/7, 7 days a week, and not finally burn out or just totally stress out, or even a melt down. For me, the best way to know when that time comes for me, is when I start getting grouchy !
What's even more sad about a work-a-holic, is when they don't realize, that if they're not willing to take the time for themselves, they need to reach out of the box, and think about those around them. Work-a-holics forget, that everyone around them is not like them. And their own work habits, puts stress on others. So when we start getting croucher our ownself, or notice that those around us are getting stressed, it's time for us work-a-holics to give others a break (time off from us).
Luckily, with working at the bank, 20+ years back, I had 6 weeks vacation a year. To survive my own job, i took those 6 weeks off. And once I discovered "cruising", I discovered this was the only thing that truly took me away from work. That's how I got started cruising, out of need, for myself. And the whole reason I went in this business, was to help others "see the same". Not only for the self outcome you receive with a vacation, but the outcome you give to others, as well as, the outcome you receive by choosing a cruise ... A vacation that truly takes you away.
This business is not some money making business; matter of fact, it doesn't even pay the cost of my health insurance. My true purpose for being here, is to remind you that you have not taken your vacation this year, and that sitting home, wasting your vacation away, is "not" a vacation ... But a cruise truly will take you away from it all. You literally stop thinking about work; about life stresses. You actually forget there's home; work. I sit around the pool, not to sunbath, but to allow thoughts to go through my head, even if those thoughts are work related ideas. I even write them down. And when I come home, I feel like a new person. And ready to roll at it again till the next time I can cruise. And, I make sure I have that next cruise planned, so I can see "light at the end of the tunnel".
Vacation is not selfish. Vacation is a need for health. There's a many a doctor who tell their clients to take vacation; why can't they write a prescription !
If you know anyone around you, who does not go on vacation or who do not believe in vacation, they actually need vacation more than you and I. Make suttle hints; leave articles. You may be saving their life ... And what about the stress relief you might receive when they are away ?! Be a winner; be pro-active with your vacation, as well as, reminding others around you. The life you might save, might be your own !
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A global study found that about a third of employed Americans usually do not take all the vacation days that they are entitled to, leaving an average of three days on the table. Article, "Take a vacation, for your health's sake",
By Alina Tugend
British get an average of 26 days of vacation and the French about 37 — compared with 14 days for Americans, Expedia.com said.
According to John de Graaf, executive director of Take Back Your Time, a nonprofit organization that studies issues related to overwork, 137 countries mandate paid vacation time. The United States is the only industrialized country that doesn't.
But really, should you just stay home, relax in front of the television, read a novel, do a few day trips? Well, vacations are not simply a luxury. There is increasing evidence that they really are necessary for good health.
Using information from the Framingham Heart Study, which started in 1948, researchers looked at questionnaires women in the study had filled out over 20 years about how often they took vacations. Those women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year, said Elaine Eaker, a co-author of the study and president of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises, a private research company.
Another study, published in 2000, looked at 12,000 men over nine years who were at high risk for coronary heart disease. Those who failed to take annual vacations had a 21 percent higher risk of death from all causes and were 32 percent more likely to die of a heart attack. "So forget about cutting down on cholesterol and exercise — Take off the Bahamas !" Even if you don't have heart problems, a vacation of at least one week — and preferably two weeks to really unwind — can help you relax and sleep better. Mark Rosekind, president and chief scientist at Alertness Solutions, a scientific consulting firm, has worked with NASA pilots and astronauts on sleep issues.
Studies have proven, after a few days on vacation — and it usually took two to three — people were averaging an hour more of good quality sleep. And there was an 80 percent improvement in their reaction times. "When they got home, they were still sleeping close to an hour more, and their reaction time was 30 to 40 percent higher than it had been before the trip," Rosekind said.
The trick, these days when going on vacation, is not only to physically remove yourself from your normal routine, but mentally as well. Checking your BlackBerry every few hours or rushing to the nearest Internet café doesn't cut it.
For 10 years, the Faculty of Management at Tel Aviv University has conducted a study looking at what is called "respite effects," which measure relief from job stress before, during and after vacations.
Professor Dov Eden, an organizational psychologist who has conducted the study, found that those who are electronically hooked up to their office, even if they are lying on the Riviera, are less likely to receive the real benefits of a vacation and more likely to burn out.
Studies have proven, "How the body reacts to a lifestyle of stress," she said. "This is real evidence that vacations are important to your physical health."
William Doherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota, said that "vacations tend to create memories more than any other family activity, and the bad times are some of the best memories."
Do these pictures remind you of anyone ? Hope not you !
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