We all know vacations rule because you don’t have to be at work! But there are even more hidden benefits about taking time off. Check these out and and you will want to start planning your next trip!
1. Reduce Your Risk For Heart Attack
De-stressing and spending time with loved ones can lower your risk of heart attack by 30 percent for women and 50 percent for men!
2. Boost Natural Energy Reserves
Studies have shown that vacations replenish your natural energy stores inside the body. This will help you find motivation for new projects, as well as make it a little easier to return to work after your vacation.
3. Get A Raise
Studies have found that employees who take more vacation time consistently receive better year-end-review scores than their co-workers who do not take time off. Employees who take vacations are also happier and are more likely to stay at a job long-term than those who do not.
4. Natural High
When you try new things or visit new places your brain gives you a boost of dopamine, the hormone that makes you feel good. Aim for something out of your ordinary routine like hiking, snorkeling, beach walking or zip-lining your body will thank you.
5. Become Happier In All Areas Of Your Life
Be more active and engaged in your leisure time and the result will affect all areas of your life. You will have more control over your free time and be able to accomplish things you’ve been putting off. This will in turn lead to feelings of fulfillment whether you are at work, home, or on vacation.
6. Help The Economy
Did you know that booking your vacation will benefit others too? If Americans took all of the vacation they were entitled to instead of leaving days on the table every year, it would result in an additional 580 million more travel days which could equate to a $160 billion economy boost. In a way, booking that beach trip is completely selfless.
7. Calm Your Mind
When you get stuck in the “daily grind.” Parts of your brain are not being utilized. Neurologists believe the neural connections that produce feelings of calm become weaker if they’re not used on a regular basis. Over time this can actually make it harder for your brain to relax- leading to anxiety and depression. Take some time off to tune up these neural connections.
8. Happiness Is Contagious
Environmental psychologists have observed that the positive vibrations you bring back from vacation will rub off on the people around you. Interestingly enough- when a few people go on vacation at the same time those vibes become a “viral happiness pandemic.”
9. Live Longer
European countries in which workers receive up to 30 days of vacation per year enjoy a longer life expectancy and lower health care cost.
11. Be A Better Boss
Around 85 percent of corporate executives surveyed for a study said that they have canceled a vacation because they couldn’t get away from work. It may seem to help a situation in the short-term, but down the road this type of behavior only sabotages the productivity in the department. When bosses (and employees) take time away from the office, they return with a refreshed outlook and more energy to creatively approach their work.
Heartland Hippie 