Why is it important to have a vacation to disconnect?

Holidays have always been an important element of planning work and maintaining people's health.

In fact, even in historical times as hard as the Middle Ages, workers had their vacations to disconnect (as far as possible) and go about their business. Y knowing the psychological benefits of going on vacation, it is not surprising. In this article we will see what they are and why they are so important especially now, after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

• Related article: "Emotional management: 10 keys to master your emotions"

The need to have vacations after a period of crisis

The coronavirus pandemic meets all the characteristics of a crisis of individual and social scope. People from practically all over the world have seen the need to adapt not only to a situation of health risk that affects us and our loved ones; In addition, we have needed to adopt our expectations and strategies to a society that has suffered a major economic slowdown and has ended with hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Both the effort involved in adapting to this hostile context and the anxiety associated with managing risks and anticipating possible Catastrophic situations (need to close a business, lose a grandparent, etc.) are factors of psychological wear and tear that we cannot pass for high. Making it seem that we are emotionally the same after exiting the pandemic as before entering it is not only unrealistic, it is an assumption that can bring us many problems.

And is that Resilience implies accepting that the situations we have experienced have taken their toll on us, so that we can do a damage control. And one of the most effective ways is to disconnect during a vacation period.

The importance of being able to disconnect thanks to the holidays

To assume that vacations are simply an aspect of life linked to leisure and the subjectivity of enjoyment is to have an incomplete and biased view of those days of rest. The holiday period has objective repercussions both on people's well-being and on their health and even in their performance at work on the way back.

That is why companies with a long-term vision always attach great importance to their workers can organize their vacations and have enough time to disconnect. It is not only a labor right, it is also an incentive, a way to retain talent within the team and a resource that helps maintain good productivity.

But let's put ourselves in the point of view of those who go on vacation: what are the benefits that they obtain directly from being able to take a few days off from the world of paid work? Let's see.

1. Allows to combat rumination

Psychological rumination is that predisposition to attract to our mind one time after another a thought that generates anxiety or that worries us. During the holidays, we can get away from everything that is familiar to us in the work environment and disconnect in a practically literal way: if we go on a trip or move to a second home, we will not expose ourselves to certain stimuli that make us think about our responsibilities, about the stress of having to meet weekly goals, etc.

• You may be interested in: "Rumination: the annoying vicious circle of thought"

2. Provides a temporary reference to open a new stage

The parenthesis that opens in the vacation period helps us stop and reflect to reorganize our priorities, set medium and long-term goals and propose qualitative changes in our personal or professional life, without having to constantly put it off due to tasks that in other Circumstances urge us (reports to send before the end of the day, phone calls to make, etc.).

3. Helps reorganize sleep schedule

Lack of sleep is one of the most important psychological wear factors in many of the people who work, and having vacations helps to recalibrate the biological clock, since we have more free time. Of course, to achieve this you have to put your will: the simple fact of going on vacation does not fix it.

4. It allows you to enjoy more of the company of loved ones

Being able to count on friends and family more is not only enjoyable; It is also good to be able to overcome difficult moments together and have the support of others.

5. It predisposes us to experiment and detect new interests and hobbies

Being able to explore new hobbies can win us new meaningful projects for us: learn to play a musical instrument, design our garden, etc. These experiences act as sources of motivation that keep us going and reinforce our self-esteem.

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On See Awakenings We have almost 10 years of experience in the field of mental health, and we work serving people of all ages. We offer sessions both in our centers around Madrid, Getafe, Leganés and Móstoles and through online therapy by video call.