Why is it important to have a vacation to disconnect?

The vacation period not only helps to rest physically; it has psychological benefits.

Vacation has always been an important element of work planning and maintaining people's health.

In fact, even in harsh historical times such as the Middle Ages, workers had their vacations to disconnect (as much as possible) and do their own thing. Y Knowing the psychological benefits of going on vacation, it's not surprising. In this article we will see what they are and why they are so important especially now, after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The need to have a vacation after a crisis stage.

The coronavirus pandemic has all the characteristics of a crisis of individual and social scope. People practically all over the world have found it necessary to adapt not only to a health risk situation that affects us and our loved ones, but also to adapt our expectations and strategies to a society that has suffered a major economic downturn and has wiped out hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Both the effort involved in adapting to this hostile context and the anxiety linked to managing risks and foreseeing possible catastrophic situations (need to close a business, lose a grandparent, etc.) are factors of psychological wear and tear that we cannot overlook. To pretend that we are emotionally the same after coming out of the pandemic as we were before entering it is not only unrealistic, it is an assumption that can lead to many problems.

The fact is that resilience implies accepting that the situations we have been through have taken their toll on us, so that we can do damage control.We can then do damage control. And one of the most effective ways is to disconnect during a vacation period.

The importance of being able to disconnect thanks to vacations

To assume that vacations are simply an aspect of life linked to leisure and the subjectivity of enjoyment is to have an incomplete and biased view of these days off. The holiday period has objective repercussions on people's well-being, health and even their performance at work. and even on their performance at work when they return.

That is why companies with a long-term vision always attach great importance to ensuring that their employees can organize their vacation and have enough time to disconnect. It is not only a labor right, it is also an incentive, a way to retain talent within the team and a resource that helps maintain good productivity.

But let's put ourselves in the point of view of the person going on vacation: what are the direct benefits of being able to take a few days off from the world of paid work? Let's take a look.

1. It helps to combat rumination

Psychological rumination is that predisposition to bring to our mind again and again a thought that generates anxiety or worries us. During the vacations, we can get away from everything that is familiar to us in the work environment and disconnect in a way that is almost literal: if we go on a trip or go to the beach, we can get away from the stresses and strains of our work environment.If we go on a trip or move to a second home, we will not be exposed to certain stimuli that make us think about our responsibilities, the stress of having to meet weekly objectives, etc.

2. It provides a time reference to open a new stage

The parenthesis that opens up during the vacation period helps us to stop and reflect in order to reorganize our priorities, set medium- and long-term goals and propose qualitative changes in our personal or professional life, without in our personal or professional life, without having to constantly postpone it due to tasks that in other circumstances would otherwise be urgent (reports to send before the end of the day, phone calls to make, etc.).

3. It helps to reorganize the sleep schedule

Lack of sleep is one of the most important factors of psychological exhaustion in many working people. in many working people, and having a vacation helps to recalibrate the Biological clock, since we have more free time. However, in order to achieve this, it is necessary to put willpower into it: the simple fact of going on vacation does not fix it.

4. Enables more enjoyment of the company of loved ones

Being able to rely more on friends and family is not only pleasant, it is also good for getting through difficult times together; it is also good to be able to get through difficult times together and to be able to count on the support of others.

5. It predisposes us to experiment and detect new interests and hobbies.

Being able to explore new hobbies can lead to new projects that are meaningful to usLearning to play a musical instrument, designing our own garden, etc. These experiences act as sources of motivation that keep us going and strengthen our self-esteem.

Looking for psychotherapy services?

If you are looking for psychotherapy services, please contact us.

At Despertares Consultation we have almost 10 years of experience in the field of mental health, and we work with people of all ages. We offer sessions both in our centers in Madrid, Getafe, Leganés and Móstoles and through online therapy by video call.