Why are Vacations Important for Your Mental Health?
Vacations might generally be touted as a way to relax, but they offer a lot more than that. They’re also an excellent way to improve your mental health in many ways. You might be wondering why exactly vacations are so valuable - here’s a few ways that they are so helpful.
They’re a great way to reduce stress
To start with, many aspects of daily life can add stress that we don’t even realize is there - long days at work, too little sleep, even the dull repetitiveness of doing the same thing day in and day out can all add up over time. Going on a vacation is an excellent way to break this cycle of pressure and tension for a bit.
Even a short weekend getaway will allow you a valuable respite and the opportunity to unwind. This makes a vacation a valuable way to improve mental health. All of those daily stresses add up over time, and can both exacerbate and create mental health problems. For example, sitting in traffic on the commute home for a day might not seem too bad, but spending countless hours over a year is sure to wear on you. A chance to reset will decrease this cumulative effect somewhat.
They offer a new perspective on life
Decreased stress isn’t the only way a vacation is valuable to your mental health, though. Depending on what’s personally important for you, there are several other ways going on a vacation can be beneficial. To start with, traveling to new places can offer some great opportunities for gaining new perspectives on life. You don’t even necessarily need to travel far to do so. Just visiting a nearby state park or different city can provide some fun and memorable new experiences such as breathtaking views of nature or discovering some local hidden gems.
The opportunity for such new experiences is another way that vacations are excellent for mental health. It can be easy to get into a rut of doing the same thing day in and day out, stuck firmly in your comfort zone. And while this can be easy for a time, you may also find yourself growing restless. Experiencing new things on vacation allows you to get a little out of your comfort zone and return to your daily life with increased confidence.
They promote personal growth
This brings up the final way a vacation is great for your mental health: it’s a wonderful way to promote personal growth.
While getting out of your comfort zone may be daunting, there are plenty of ways to do so without pushing yourself too far and adding stress back into your vacation. For example, going on a week-long backpacking trip your first trip to a national park would probably feel pretty overwhelming. Going on a day hike that’s just at the border of what you’re used to, however, is far more achievable, and once you successfully achieve that goal, you can use that newfound feeling of accomplishment and confidence to build on.
Adding this building of confidence to the new perspective you may gain from visiting new places or different cultures, and a respite from daily stressors, it’s no wonder a vacation can bring about positive change in your mental state that long outlasts the length of the getaway itself. All of this together makes travel a worthwhile investment - you’re not merely escaping from your daily life, but improving your life as a whole.
author: Laura taylor