12 Reasons To Take A Vacation Even Though You’re Super Busy

With the economy plummeting and prices for goods skyrocketing, it seems pretty difficult for everyone to justify a vacation nowadays, especially when most of us are pleased just to have a job. But the thing is, we all need to take a break – a real one and not just a long weekend – from our super busy stressed out lives. After all, we are only humans, and we need some time to rejuvenate our mind, body and spirit.

While skipping holidays and working long hours may seem like a smart move in these tough times, it can actually make things worse. Not only will it decrease the quality of your work, but it may even cause serious problems to your health. What’s more, passing up on a vacation could create an undesirable emotional gap between you and your loved ones.

Need a good reason to take a break from work? Trekeffect has compiled a dozen reasons why you should take a vacation even if you’re extremely busy at work.

1 Take a vacation for your heart’s sake

Taking a break from your daily grind helps promote a healthier heart. Don’t believe us? According to a recent study conducted by work-life balance trainer and speaker Joe Robinson, taking a vacation reduces the risk of heart attacks by 50 percent in women and 30 percent in men.

2 It extends your life

Did you know that going on a vacation can help you live longer? After surveying over 10,000 men, Oswego’s State University of New York discovered that men who travel often reduce their overall risk of premature death by 20 percent. Likewise, an article released by the New York Times suggests that people who don’t take breaks from work annually increase their rate of dying early by 21 percent. So, if you want to have a long, productive and healthy life, leave the toxic trappings of your work for a while, and travel to a beautiful far-off place.

3 A vacation doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive

You don’t have to spend a fortune, to experience a memorable and fun-filled vacation. From Portugal to Vietnam, there are dozens of stunning places from all over the world, where you can have a blast without breaking the bank. Plus, there are tons of travel hacks as well as airline ticket buying guides to help you experience a cheap yet affordable vacation. To top it all off, the internet is teeming with friendly and trustworthy travel bloggers who can give insightful words of advice on how to save money for your next big adventure.

4 It alleviates stress

Stress is literally a deadly killer! The more stressful you are at work, the more likely you are going to have adverse effects in your health. Chronic stress can lead to a variety of maladies, including health attacks, ulcers, obesity and headaches.

Fortunately, though, going on a vacation can help fight off stress, and repel the negative effects associated with it. Whether you are embattled with a great deal of pressure at work or experiencing a burnout, going on a vacation will soothe your jaded senses and drastically reduce the kind of stress you’re dealing with. From snapping photos of breathtaking landscapes to experiencing a ton of thrilling activities, a vacation can surely decrease the signs of burnout and the ill effects of stress in a lot of different ways.

5 You’ll become a better decision maker

Stress won’t help you see things clearly too, and may cloud your ability to think rationally. Furthermore, it causes exhaustion and makes you more impatient, which can very often lead to bad decisions. As a result of your poor decision making, you’ll perform poorly at work, and even put your job in jeopardy.

The good news is, taking a relaxing vacation can help you become a decision maker. As the experts of University of Pittsburgh have suggested, people who are satisfied with their travel escapades will return feeling more motivated, positive and energized, improving their ability to think better and make more rational decisions.

6 It prevents burnouts

Tired of your job? If you are working too hard, and grinding away without a breather, you will soon start to lose focus and interest in what you do at work. And eventually, your performance and the quality of your work will take a plunge.

Of course, this is pretty normal for us, humans. Our brains may be superior and unique, but they are still vulnerable to exhaustion. All day long, we are bombarded with loads of projects, phone calls, texts and emails that could evoke a feeling of weariness. That’s why need to go on a vacation at least once a year, to prevent a burnout.

7 It sparks your creativity

Can’t think creatively at work? Then, step away from your cubicle, go to your boss’s office, and demand for a vacation. Busy people and workers rarely come up with cool and awesome ideas at work. In fact, the best ideas usually come when we are doing other things outside the office, such as working out in the gym, taking a shower or watching an inspiring travel film. People in general just can’t find inspiration or become creative, when under a tremendous amount of pressure and looking at the same four walls each day.

A change of scenery, through a vacation, can do a lot of wonders to your life and work. When you go on a vacation, you get to laze off, unwind, and allow your mind to wander. This, in turn, kicks your creativity up a notch, and lets your mind start exploring ideas that you have never imagined or thought of before.

8 It makes you happy

Taking a breather from work can actually make you a happier person, as reported by a recent scientific study. After surveying more than a thousand Dutch adults, Jeroen Nawijn, the group’s leader, and rest of the researchers found out that people who take breaks are way happier than those who skip their holidays.

According to this study, the excitement and wild anticipation for their trips have made these people more blissful than those who didn’t have any vacation plans. The research also revealed that these people were still in a state of euphoria, even after returning home from their vacation.

9 You will gain a new perspective

Whether you’re going to an exotic tropical beach in Asia or trekking through the gorgeous and diverse landscapes of Utah, a respite from work is the perfect time to reflect and open yourself to a plethora of new possibilities. When you’re traveling, and away from work, you are going to see the world from a unique and holistic perspective instead of a lopsided angle. You will, then, feel the urge to do new things like discovering new cultures, reading a new business book and experiencing life like you’ve never been before. More importantly, it will change your perspective, and help you gain a better vision in life, as you go back to your job.

10 You’ve rightfully earned it

Vacation time is given to you for a good reason. You have been working quite hard, and you certainly deserve some time off. If you get paid while taking time off, take it, and reap the perks of your hard work.

11 A chance for personal growth

Taking a vacation, especially to those who are living in a buzzing urban jungle, can be rather challenging since you’ll be stepping outside your comfort zone. But as we all know, drastic changes in life happen when we are outside our comfort zone. When you travel and move away from this preferred state, you get to challenge yourself, grow as a person, and learn more about our beautiful world in a way that working in a four-cornered wall never could.

12 A vacation reconnects you with your loved ones

Family, relatives and friends are more important than what you have at work. And while you are working hard to secure their future and give them a better life, all they really want is to spend some quality time with you. No matter how busy you are at work, always find time to take a vacation, reconnect with your loved ones, and collect precious memories that will last a lifetime.

(by Aldrich Infantado of Trekeffect)