Table of contents:
- Benefits of vacation for mental health
- The benefits of vacation for physical health
- Routines without holidays are not good for health
- Tips for staying fit during and after a vacation
Everyone has their own routine that continues to be carried out every day throughout the month and even throughout the year. Without realizing it, this can lead to prolonged stress. One way to stop stress for a moment is to take a vacation, and this is beneficial for one's physical and mental health. But did you know that the benefits of vacation aren't just for mental health?
Benefits of vacation for mental health
Mental health is the first thing to experience when you experience stress, both short and long term. Stress also has an impact on depression and decreased ability to carry out activities due to feeling tired with the routine that is being carried out. One study in Wisconsin showed a higher risk of depression was found in individuals who took vacations less than two years once. In addition, other research from the University of Pittsburgh shows that recreational activities and vacations can significantly increase positive emotions.
The benefits of vacation for physical health
Vacation is not only useful for relaxing the mind but also good for overall physical health. Researcher in the field of immunity, Prof. Fulvio D'Acquisto (as reported by dailymail) argues that a new and pleasant environment can stimulate the immune system to work better.
The results of experiments on mice by D'Acquisto show that a pleasant environment can increase levels of white blood cells, which are useful for protecting the body when exposed to infectious agents without drug administration. He also argues, in addition to taking medication, changing the environment when he is sick can improve the patient's overall health.
Apart from immunity, taking a vacation is also good for heart health because it can reduce the risk of high blood pressure caused by stress. This has been proven by various studies, one of which is the Frammingham Heart Study, which shows someone who regularly goes on vacation has a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and experiencing death from diseases related to cardiovascular conditions.
Routines without holidays are not good for health
Vacation is one way to control stress, and the health effects caused by the hormone cortisol which is generally related to immunity and inflammation of the blood vessels. Stress is a mental health disorder that can last a long time as long as the brain experiences certain stress. This causes the development of the disease to take place along with the stressful conditions experienced by a person.
Chronic stress is very likely experienced by someone who cannot control stress or work with a very busy routine every day. In the end, most cases of stress can trigger a depressive condition which causes a decrease in work performance and quality of life in a person.
Vacationing does not have to be done for a long time or by traveling far away, but can be done by using time to calm yourself and your mind, such as doing outdoor activities or doing hobbies that cannot be done while you are working. Even though the relaxing effect may only be felt for a moment, taking a vacation can reduce your accumulated time when you are stressed.
Tips for staying fit during and after a vacation
One of the goals of a vacation is to get some peace for a moment. But in reality, we often don't take care of our body health and can't manage stress while on vacation. This causes the holidays less enjoyable and tends to be tiring so that it does not have a positive effect after a vacation. Here are some tips for staying fit while on vacation:
- Plan the time and type of transportation - this will define your preparation needs and adapt them to weather and road conditions. Without preparation, things such as too long travel time can stress you out during the trip.
- Get enough sleep - This effort begins with getting enough sleep before going on vacation. A healthy night's sleep pattern will reduce difficulty falling asleep or jet lag while on vacation. If you are short on sleep at night try taking short breaks during the day and limit your caffeine intake if absolutely necessary.
- Stay active - Long journeys will restrict you from moving for the time being so take advantage of when you can move to stretching and walk. This is to keep you relaxed and energized.
- Fulfill and adjust nutritional needs - adjust your calorie needs from carbohydrates and fat with activities you do while on vacation, especially limit it if most of the time is spent on ballet activities such as sitting and sleeping. In addition, meet the needs of vitamins and water to maintain endurance while on vacation.
- Avoid contact with routine - Limit the use of gadgets and activities that you normally do at work. In addition to making it difficult for you to relax, keeping up with your work while on vacation will reduce the quality of your vacation and are more likely to cause you to feel guilty about choosing a vacation over work so that you feel stressed after a vacation.