We’re just coming out of the holiday season in Australia, but if you didn’t take the chance to get away for some rest and recuperation you might be risking your mental health.
Researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) have found real health and well-being advantages from taking a break from work and getting away on holiday.
The meta-analysis of 32 studies from nine countries suggests that not only are holidays more beneficial for boosting employee well-being than previously thought, but the positive effects of annual leave last much longer than the ride home from the airport.
“The theme of the paper is that vacations create longer-lasting benefits than previously thought,” – Ryan Grant, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in psychology in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
“Job demands and job stress are on the rise. But people think that they can’t take time off because they don’t want to look bad or lose out on an opportunity for promotion.
“We think working more is better, but we perform better by taking care of ourselves. We need to break up these intense periods of work with intense periods of rest and recuperation.”
However, it was found that how you take a break away from work does make a difference in how restorative your time off is. The researchers found employees who were psychologically disengaged from work on their vacations saw the most improvement in their well-being.
“If you’re not at work but you’re thinking about work on vacation, you might as well be at the office,” Grant said.
“Vacations are one of the few opportunities we get to fully just disconnect from work.”
Ideally, that means not answering emails, taking work calls or even thinking about the office.
But it isn’t just about chilling out mentally, it was found that being physically active on your break also has advantages with the people who engaged in physical activities while on vacation experiencing higher levels of well-being and restoration.
“Anything that gets your heart rate up is a good option,” Grant said.
“Plus, a lot of physical activities you’re doing on vacation, like snorkeling, for example, are physical. So they’re giving you the physiological and mental health benefits. But they’re also unique opportunities for these positive experiences that you probably don’t get in your everyday life.”
Finally, a few days off either side of your vacation can also be beneficial.
Giving yourself time to pack and plan your trip ahead of time reduces stress and can help maximize well-being benefits. And incorporating a day or two off to reacclimate when you get home can ease the transition back into work mode, the researchers said.