Gone are the days when the narrative states that holidays are only for those who deserve or can afford them. In today’s busy world, we now consider a holiday essential to protecting one’s mental health.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that a holiday must have all the bells and whistles – flights, rented holiday homes, and meals out. Nor should you be swept up in the notion that it must involve extended periods away. A holiday can simply mean a break from the routine.
Sure, a change of scene helps to remove all the stresses of our daily life, but you can achieve this with what we now call a Staycation – time off work, spent at home, ignoring life admin, relaxing, catching up with friends, or heading off on day trips to the bush, beach or indulging your hobbies.
Regardless of how you choose to holiday, the important thing is that you do! Taking time out to rest and relax gives our body a break. And when we say body, we also mean our minds! A holiday is an essential prescription for self-care.
The past couple of years have been challenging, leaving many of us with a constant undercurrent of stress. For some, this current has been more of a torrent. Whether you have felt it or not, this current takes a toll on our well-being, hiking up our stress levels and our body’s normal adrenal response, leaving us vulnerable to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
While it’s true that many of us take time out to focus on fitness and hobbies in our typical working week, life gets busy. Often, it can feel like we are bouncing from one thing to the next with little space in between. Nothing beats taking a break from work and your routine, tuning out to the background noise and settling into some quality you-time. Nothing beats a holiday.
Summer is the perfect time to take a break. The weather lends itself to many great outdoor activities that nourish us physically and spiritually. And, of course, with most people in the habit of taking leave over this time, the opportunities to reconnect with friends and family are plentiful. Spending quality time with those we care about trigger our feel-good hormones and, therefore, support a positive state of mind.
All too often, we can miss the signs that our body needs a break, the outcome of which can be the rise of more severe issues. Chronic fatigue, disease, or breakdowns are among the many common outcomes. Failure to rest and recharge can leave you exhausted, less capable, and less responsive. In short, you become a safety risk.
Be proactive in your self-care because prevention is always better than cure! What’s more, the better you take care of yourself, the more enjoyable life will be.
So, with that said, if you have been reluctant to take a break or are yet to request some time off, we suggest that you make it a priority. Today!