7 Great Benefits to a Vacation

Here is a great blog on the benefits of taking a vacation and how to take it. You should read the entire blog because it is great but here is the start:

Summer’s almost over. Have you taken a vacation yet? If you haven’t, will you?

Acccording to a 2006 survey by Harris Interaction and Expedia, 36 percent of workers don’t plan to use all their paid vacation days, and 37 percent never take more than a week off at a time.
So to convince you to take a much-needed break, here’s my list of how vacations can benefit your health and mind. While relaxation and exposure to culture are obvious benefits, there’s a wealth of other rewards too:

1. Live longer

A State University of New York survey found that men who took annual vacations reduced their risk of death by 20 percent. Men who didn’t take any vacations in five years had the highest death rate and incidence of heart disease than any other men surveyed.
Improve your mental health

A study by Wisconsin Medical Journal found that women who took frequent vacations were less likely to become depressed, tense, or tired. Women who rarely took vacations were likelier to have stress at home and sleep less.

2. Revamp your relationships

I don’t have any fancy studies to back this one up, it’s just common sense. A real vacation is the ideal time to reconnect and revitalize relationships that have taken a toll from an on-call, always-on, and work-obsessed culture. My 9-hour work days and blogging duties have caused my relationships to suffer more than I’d like to admit. Yes, I too need a vacation.

3. Recapture your childhood

When was the last time you went out and play? I mean really play. Without worry of someone calling or interrupting you. Real vacations let you recapture that feeling of childlike exploratory freedom. You can wake up when you want, go to sleep when you want, and eat what you want. Most importantly, you can have fun without worrying about the consequences on work back home.

4. Gain self confidence

“Don’t put yourself on sale.” This is my favorite mantra from financial guru Suze Orman. While Suze’s target audience is directed to women, the advice applies to everyone. When you skip vacations, you put yourself on sale. If you have 2-weeks of paid vacation and don’t use them, you’re essentially working for free. By committing to a vacation, you declare to yourself (and to others) that you are important and deserve dedicated time for yourself.

Read the rest here.