The 5 effects of vacations on your health and emotional rest.

These are the psychological benefits of vacations on our emotional health.

The vacation period is much more than just a few days in which we can allow ourselves to disconnect from work. It is also a phenomenon that brings several benefits to our emotional health.

In this article we will see what are the effects of the vacations on our psychological well-being, and the way in which they affect us.and the way in which it brings us advantages for the management of our emotions even without leaving home.

The psychological benefits of the vacations

These are the main aspects for which to have vacations allows to enjoy days of emotional rest and can get to make a difference in your state of mind.

1. The opportunity to get away from routine

Something as simple as getting out of the weekly work dynamic allows us to more easily get rid of many of those thoughts that usually go around in our head generating stress and worries.t makes it easier to let go of many of those thoughts that tend to run around in our heads, generating stress and worries..

As we spend more time without being surrounded by that which constantly reminds us that we have many things to do, it is easier to remain in a state of calm.

2. The ability to disconnect from social networks

Several studies point out that many people tend to feel negative affectivity with sustained use of social networks such as Facebook or Instagram, digital platforms that lend themselves to be visited especially in "dead time" between one responsibility and the next..

On vacation, it is much easier to focus our attention on much more stimulating tasks in an uninterrupted manner, replacing those moments of moving from one photograph to the next without knowing very well what we get from such an experience.

3. An opportunity to connect with your family

The holiday period is a very good time to strengthen family relationships that may have been affected by the lack of time together during the course of a typical weekday.

4. Helps combat stress

Statistically, the holiday period goes hand in hand with a reduction in self-perceived stress level, as well as a decrease in Blood cortisol, which is the hormone associated with stress.which is the hormone associated with stress. Gaining control over our time is a great help in better managing our emotions.

5. It improves physical health and, by extension, emotional health.

Emotional well-being is always linked to physical well-being.. Therefore, having more time to move around and even to cook healthy dishes (instead of having to settle for the dishes sold in nearby stores and restaurants) is a great advantage.

In fact, it has been proven that in Western societies in general, the vacation season is associated with a decrease in the diameter of the abdomen and the Body Mass Index. And as a consequence of being better physically, we are more likely to be better emotionally.

Some final tips

To get the most out of your vacation from a psychological and emotional point of view, follow these tips.

1. Consider traveling alone

Many people feel pressured at the thought of having to conform their vacation expectations to the plans of others. Let's think, for example, of a group of young people who plan to rent a holiday apartment in front of the coast to party together almost every night. Faced with this, peer pressure may lead several people to accept that this will be the way to go, peer pressure may lead several people to accept that this is the way they will spend several days of their vacation..

However, the key is not to conform only for fear of experiencing rejection: that parenthesis of free time is a precious commodity that we should be able to devote to what we want. Therefore, the idea of traveling unaccompanied, choosing the destination ourselves, is a perfectly valid plan that should not cause problems in terms of relationships with others; we just have to communicate honestly that it is not about being away from those people in our closest circle, but about having the freedom to decide what to do.

2. Stay away from tricky comparisons.

Social media is full of idealized vacations.If we take them seriously as if they were a true reflection of how people enjoy their days off, it's easy to feel bad.

That's why it's best to avoid evaluating everything from the point of view of someone who is just comparing what happens to them during their vacation days, on the one hand, and the stereotypical paradise vacation, on the other.

3. If you stay at home, do moderate exercise.

Staying indoors is also a perfectly valid option.. However, given that we may not have reason to be away from home constantly, as would happen in the case of traveling. It is important not to neglect exercise.

There are several activities that will allow you to exercise your muscles and keep your joints working without having to go far away, and several of them can be done in a well-ventilated room.

4. In case you are going through a bad period, turn to professionals.

Many people arrive at the first day of vacation having dragged for months a significant stress due to the pressure of work. In cases like this, the simple fact of having time off will certainly improve things, but to further reinforce the process of emotional improvement, you can take advantage of it to go to a psychologist.

Through the work done in the consultation, it is possible to learn to detect the problems that were exerting psychological wear and tearand to better manage emotions, also assessing alternatives to the job you have.

Are you looking for psychological support?

If you are interested in starting a psychotherapy process, contact our team of professionals.

At Despertares Psychologists disponemos de una trayectoria de muchos años atendiendo a personas de todas las edades, y actualmente ofrecemos la posibilidad de realizar sesiones tanto en nuestros centros de Madrid, Getafe, Móstoles y Leganés, como mediante la terapia online por videollamada. En esta página encontrarás nuestros datos de contacto.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Hyde, A.L.; Conroy, D.E.; Pincus, A.L. & Ram, N. (2011). Unpacking the Feel Good Effect of Free-Time Physical Activity: Between- and Within-Person Associations with Pleasant-Activated Feeling States. The Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 33(6): pp. 884 - 902.
• Sarah D. Pressman, et. al. (2009). Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities With Psychological and Physical Well-Being. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(7): pp. 725 - 732.
• Tarumi, K.; Hagihara, A. & Morimoto, M. (1998). An investigation into the effects of vacations on the health status in male white-collar workers. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. 3(1): 23 - 30.