Do Vacations Really Reduce Stress
Are you a human being or a human doing? Modern society is plagued with the notion of perpetual motion. Gotta do something. Make more money. Get more things done. Are we wearing ourselves out and creating more illness? There is scientific evidence showing the ability to reduce stress through vacations. Makes most prescription drugs green with envy.
Reduce stress and energize body, mind, and spirit
Buddha said: “Don’t just do something. Sit there.” As opposed to our mantra of “don’t just sit there, do something.” Nothing wrong with getting things accomplished. Nothing wrong with earning a handsome income. But our body, mind, and spirit respond well when we “give it a break”.
The data on vacations bringing dramatically enhanced health is overwhelming. Vacations bring about a renewed sense of rest and relaxation, enhanced relationships with friends and family, and the joy of discovering new frontiers. Leisure activities, including vacations, lower the risk of cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s.
Global tourism is an $8 trillion/yr business, making it one of the largest and fastest growing industries on the planet. And there are good reasons. Vacations make you feel better and enhance general mental and physical health. There are many proven benefits to regular vacations. Researchers find that vacationers show benefits from stress reduction with fewer complaints of headache, back ache, heart irregularities and had a prolonged effect 5 weeks after the vacation.
How laughter stimulates healing
Because of the stress reduction and the link between stress and heart attacks, researchers found that people who skipped their vacations five years in a row were 30% more likely to have a heart attack. Improved productivity and better sleep rounded out the health benefits of vacations.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a vacation. “Staycations” have become popular. Meaning, stay near your home. Do something different. Go somewhere different. Do not work while vacationing. Put away the smart devices. Chill out. Have some fun. Get healthier.
Excerpted from 12 KEYS TO A HEALTHIER CANCER PATIENT by Patrick Quillin
