Holidays and the psychological need to rest

Today's world is very competitive. Both in work and personal life you have to be productive, efficient, correct, have high performance, comply with deadlines, deal with difficult situations, make decisions, demonstrate proactivity, renew, update continually…

All this induces a state of stress that, although initially we drives and motivates to stay attentive and give the best of ourselves, to stay continuously leads to a decrease in motivation, performance and enjoyment of work activity that even induce some disorder such as the burnout, anxiety disorders or depressive symptoms.

In order to avoid this, regardless of other considerations, advice and the application of relaxation techniques such as those of breathing It is necessary to have periods of rest in which to be able to relax both physically and psychologically and disconnect from everyday problems. That is, a vacation is necessary.

The need for vacations

During this rest period, it is very useful to carry out recovery activities such as relaxation so that the individual can abstract and rest from the stressors in their life habitual.

Understood as a reward for the effort made, vacations are a reinforcing element of the self-esteem and the selfconcept, in addition to preventing the appearance of stress and other disorders. It is a period in which we can do activities that are pleasant for us and for which there is usually no opportunity, temporarily leaving behind the responsibilities associated with the position, role or personal and social status.

Beneficial effects of rest

The fact of enjoying a vacation correctly has a lot of benefits. In the first place, in relation to the aforementioned stress, the vacation period helps to relax, repairing the body from the damage caused by increased cortisol and anxiety.

Likewise, a good rest produces a notable increase in creativity, being able to give rise to the formation of new strategies and ideas that in a stressful environment would not arise. This is due to the fact that during rest periods the brain is not inactive, but only stops focus on a certain stimulation, activating many other areas of the psyche that are often side.

In this sense, the mental unblocking produced by rest causes an improvement in judgment and decision-making capacity, enabling the complete analysis of the available information and subsequent decision-making.

In addition to this, rest produces an increase in productivity and concentration, by decreasing the intellectual blockage and the mental and physical slowing down of a continuous situation of stress. The latency of reaction to stimuli decreases, increasing performance and efficiency both during the recreational period and when returning to work.

Finally, rest causes the release of endorphins and the activation of the neural reward circuits, stimulating the presence of dopamine Y serotonin in the brain. All of this produces a reduction in anxiety and negative thinking patterns. In conclusion, vacations are a way that causes happiness in those who are able to enjoy the vacation period of rest.

Things to avoid that decrease the restorative effect of the holidays

It is necessary to bear in mind that the simple fact of having a vacation is not in itself restorativeInstead, rest comes from changing activities and ways of thinking compared to the usual situation. In this way, not everything goes, but some elements that hinder the true enjoyment of the vacation period should be taken into account.

In this sense, a common problem in the presence of vacations, especially if it is a short one, is excessive scheduling. Frequently there is a tendency to make extensive lists of things to do or visit. It is worth bearing in mind that more quantity does not equal more quality, as saturating the available time can lead to even more stress.

Bedtime is also a frequent problem. It is common to see how individuals tend to go to bed according to a stipulated schedule in order to take advantage of the time. Again it must be remembered that the ultimate goal is to rest and enjoy.

Another problem to avoid is the creation of a routine B (being A the daily routine). In this sense, the need to do things out of the ordinary, which do not involve a constant repetition of the same patterns present in everyday life, must be valued.

Although the period of leisure that the holidays entail must be enjoyed to the fullest, the need to take into account the economic aspect should not be forgotten, however. Unforeseen events are likely. Likewise, the enjoyment must be carried out without falling into excesses, since a complete lack of control can cause health, economic and / or relationship problems.

Recommendations to improve the quality of vacations

There has been talk of some elements to avoid so that the mental regeneration produced by the vacation break is not clouded. Let's see now some basic recommendations to improve the latter.

1. The good thing about improvisation

Among all the recommendations, the main one is to have great flexibility. As has already been said, the vacation period is full of possible unforeseen events, and no matter how planned it is, the needs of individuals can change. Being able to improvise and adapt to wishes and possibilities is essential for an optimal experience of enjoyment.

2. Change mindset

A second essential element is the fact of completely disconnecting from the normal routine. That is to say, it is necessary that before starting the vacation period everything is prepared so that the usual responsibilities do not interrupt (except for greater necessity) the rest.

3. Dare

Another important element is daring to do new things, as it allows the acquisition of new points of view that can bring great changes to our lives, increasing our creativity.

4. Prevent conflicts

One more consideration that should be taken into account for those whose vacations are carried out in company is the recommendation to choose the activities to be carried out in a collaborative way. This reinforces the bond between the subjects, also providing different perspectives that can help to find better options for everyone.

Starting over: reentry

The holiday rest period has an end. Bearing in mind this fact and dealing with it can mean the difference between returning to daily life with energy and optimism and enter a state of despondency before the return of obligations, popularly known What postvacational syndrome.

In this sense A progressive return must be sought to re-adapt to daily life, returning home a few days before, for example, by adjusting the Cardiac rhtyms to the usual schedule and in some cases, favoring that companies allow a progressive re-entry. Likewise, when starting the holidays it is important not to obsess over the time left to finish, but to plan to take into account that you are going to return in a specific period.

Bibliographic references

• Colombo, V. and Cifre, E. (2012). The Importance of Recovering from Work: A Review of the Where, How and Why.Papers of the Psychologist, Vol 33 (2), 129-137.

• Immordino, M. H. et. Al. (2012) Rest Is Not Idleness. Implications of the Brain’s Default Mode for Human Development and Education. Perspectives on Psychological Science; 7(4): 352-364.

• Leung, A. K. et. Al. (2008) Multicultural experience enhances creativity: the when and how. The American Psychologist; 63(3): 169-181.

• Nawijn, J. et al. (2010) Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday. Applied Research in Quality of Life; 5(1): 35-47.