Escape the Busyness and Benefit From a Vacation
Written by Marci Renée
Imsouane, Morocco Beach by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis 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?”
Celebrating is part of caring for yourself.
Get one of our favorite self-care quotes, and use it as a screen saver.
Health Benefits of Vacationing
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% less likely to die from any cause and were 32% 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% more likely to have heart attacks compared to men who did not 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.”
For those of us who don’t live in France or another country that allows for this much 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. When we take a nap, we push pause in the middle of our day—long enough to refresh us so that we can actually survive our jam-packed 24-hours.
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.
Photo by Mischa Meier on Unsplash
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 beach 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 Superman or Superwoman. 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.
Years ago, 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 recent years because of crises and transitions. I specifically remember him sharing that it wasn’t surprising that it was hard to find a replacement for himself or 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. I remember that he sighed and said, “Who would want my job?!”
Marrakesh Desert 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 clearly speak to others, as well, 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 keeps playing on American television these days. It says, “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?
Do you have a hard time feeling like it’s alright to take care of yourself?
Consider making this quote your screen saver.
It’s from a woman named Katie Reed—not to be confused with our very own Katie Reid—who wholeheartedly agrees!
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