You Need A Vacation, But What Does Your Boss Think?

We all need to take a vacation every once in awhile, but in today’s head to the grindstone mentality we often feel pressured not to take time off. To even mention the word vacation can make you the subject of scorn and rebuke by your co-workers, boss, or in a circle of entrepreneurs.

However, how can it be possible to work all the time without regularly taking time out for yourself? It’s not.

Here’s a perfect analogy by Forbes Contributor Ryan Frankel,

Try running a few miles the day after finishing a marathon and you’ll quickly realize that it doesn’t work. The mind, just like the body, desperately craves periods of recovery.

Marathon stretches of work to finish a project, meet a deadline, or make last minute revisions on deliverables is just as taxing on your mental state extreme physical exertion. Without proper rest and relaxation when dealing with a rigorous work schedule you can unintentionally be sabotaging your performance.

In an article by Health.com it was reported that,

In a 2011 survey of 1,546 people by the American Psychological Association, about one-third of respondents said they typically feel tense or stressed out during their workday. And despite that nearly all of us need an occasional break, many rarely take a vacation day because they worry that others will look down on them, says Paula Davis-Laack, PhD, author of Addicted to Busy.

Burning out from overworking yourself can lead to trouble sleeping, bring on stress related illness, and cause a lull in your creative output.

Even worse, your personal relationships can suffer do to a workaholic mentality. Your family and friends are lifelong connections that will be there to support you career high points as well as the low points, but in order to keep relationships strong it’s important to make time to invest in them— it’s a ultimately a worthwhile investment in yourself.

There’s nothing wrong with hard work and seeing a task through to completion, but we’re not designed to be machines. The idea of staycations are becoming more popular, so even if it’s not possible to break away to Fiji, taking a day off to tend to your personal life, family matters, and overall well-being can be just as effective.

To learn more about when it’s time to take a vacation, visit Health.com