Relaxing Vacations

For many people in demanding jobs, taking a vacation feels like it will put their business at risk. While you're relaxing, "your paying customers may be growing impatient, work may be piling up and prospective clients may be choosing a competitor."

As a result, it's common for people to not take a vacation, or to put it off.

But that causes its own problems:

Constant work with no down time can lead to decreased productivity, perspective and creativity, says Randy Kamen-Gredinger, a psychologist in Waylaid, Mass."Going away gives you an opportunity to recharge and be missed on the job," she says. By carving out some time away from the daily grind, she adds, the hard-charging employee can even help stave off depression.

So, it is important to make time for vacations where you can really relax and find new strength and energy.

The good thing is that it can be done. Though it may be difficult and does require preparation, anyone can arrange for the necessary time for R&R. You just have to recognize the importance of allowing time off for relaxation, and make it a priority.

In order to help you, here are some tips:

• Prepare and delegate - when other people are covering for you, you can have peace of mind about being away.
• Set a firm date - There may be no perfect date to get away, but if you mark a date on the calendar and prepare for it, it will work.
• Extend a business trip to make it a vacation - So you won't feel guilty.
• Barter for your vacation - It is possible to trade your services for lodging, so that the cost of your vacation doesn't hurt as much.

There is more on each of these tips at the following article:

How to get away from work for R&R

The great thing about cell phones, smartphones and laptops is you can always be reached.

The bad thing about cell phones, smartphones and laptops is... you guessed it... you can always be reached.

Being accessible by modern communications technology makes it harder to really detach from work and "get away," even while you're on vacation.

The following article in the Duluth News Tribune addresses the problem and provides some hope for being able to relax:

Wired, vacations offer us little escape

On the Positivity Blog, Henrik Edburg shares his ideas about relaxing vacations:

Vacations can be great. You have time to spend with the people closest to you, to go traveling and to do the things you haven’t had time for during the winter and spring.

But vacations can also become spaces in time where there is much to do and where “musts” and “shoulds” fill up your time until you are back at work or school again and feel drained and not feel refreshed at all.

Perhaps you are starting your summer vacation soon. Or maybe it has already begun. Below you will find a four tips that will make it easier to make this vacation a refreshing and rejuvenating one.

His tips include:

• Breathing in order to slow down and enjoy the moment
• Accepting how you feel right now (If you feel stressed right now, the best way to relax is to acknowledge that you're stressed, rather than deny it.)
• Plan to do nothing on your vacation (There's nothing you "should" or "must" do on your vacation - you're free to totally relax.)
• Let yourself do things you really love on your vacation

These are great tips, so if you want to read more of Henrik's explanations, see his full blog post with his Guide to Relaxing Vacations.

What do you really want from your vacation?

Everybody wants to come back from vacation with a smile on their face, a spring in their step, and new energy and creativity.

When you think about that as your goal, it's pretty obvious that rest is an important part of your vacation. (And you realize that many people's ideas of what you're supposed to do on vacation - party, see all the sights, etc. - will never accomplish it.)

A Sleeping Vacation?

So, is sleeping all day the best thing you can do on vacation? Should you just stay home and save the money on the vacation package to the tropics because what you really need to do is sleep? (Maybe you should buy a really good mattress instead?)

Dr. Matthew Edlund, author of the book "The Power of Rest," is a big proponent of resting on vacation. But he is talking about much more than getting extra sleep.

The value of sleep on vacation

Now Dr. Edlund does say that sleep is important, especially since most people are sleep deprived in general. And in fact, getting enough sleep actually allows your brain to process your experiences and produce powerful memories. So sleeping well on your vacation not only allows you to renew your energy, it also allows you to develop stronger, more lasting memories of your wonderful vacation experiences.

Active Resting

But a restful vacation involves much more than sleep. Dr. Edlund actually recommends active resting.

So, what does active resting look like?

Active resting may sound like a contradiction in terms, but Dr. Edlund explains that "rest is not a passive, slow process but quick and active."

He gives several suggestions for how to actively rest.

One is to follow a pattern of food - activity - rest. This provides an alternation of physical and mental activity, and gives your brain the opportunity to grow and renew itself.

Another suggestion is to focus on truly enjoying your meals. More than just finding food with good flavor, focus on enjoying the dining experience of spending time together with special people.

Another way to actively rest is to seek out nature. Beaches, rivers, forests, lakes, gardens - water and greenery in all its forms - contribute to a better mood and more enjoyment on your vacation.

And one last point worth sharing is that actively resting means focusing more on people and experiences than on a checklist. You may have a list of sites you want to see or activities that you don't want to miss. But you'll enjoy your vacation more if you are open to the unexpected opportunities that come up, and to enjoying the people that you meet, rather than to crossing everything off your vacation "to do" list.

Actively resting in all its forms will make your vacation more memorable and will allow you to return with renewed energy and creativity for all your normal activities.

For more info about restful vacations from Dr. Edlund, see his article How to Rest on Vacation.

Vacations - The Ideal and The Reality

Vacations are supposed to be something you look forward to and enjoy. Getting away from work so that you can relax and have some fun should be a total pleasure.

But for some people, vacations are almost a form of torture. Instead of enjoying being away from work, they hate it. They feel cut off, and they're filled with worry about what's happening while they're gone.

Vacations for the Workaholic

What we're talking about here is workaholism, a very real problem with very real negative consequences.

For a workaholic, a vacation can be a source of great anxiety. Many workaholics use work almost as a sedative to calm their anxiety, so when they are not working, the anxiety bubbles up.

One recovered workaholic, Dr. Bryan Robinson, describes how he would send his family out of his hotel room on vacation, pretending that he wanted to rest, while he would actually use the time as a secret chance to work. Why? "It calmed me down, like a drink calms an alcoholic," he explains.

Workaholics vs. Hard Workers

Workaholism is quite distinct from just someone working hard in a demanding job. "The hard worker in the office is dreaming about being on the ski slope. The workaholic is on the ski slope dreaming about being in the office," says Dr. Robinson.

The difference is in the motivation of the workaholic. The pressure that drives a true workaholic is not necessarily due to real causes in the workplace. The real source of the pressure is usually low self-esteem and a fear of inadequacy.

Effects of Workaholism

Workaholism does have real negative consequences. The long term effects of maintaining elevated stress levels can include increased risk of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, chronic pain and a weakened immune system. It can also bring on depression, anxiety and exhaustion.

Vacations, particularly relaxing vacations, are very helpful in reducing the long term effects of the stress that results from workaholism. The important thing is for the vacation to be relaxing.

How to Attempt the Impossible - a Relaxing Vacation for a Workaholic

How can a vacation be relaxing for a workaholic? After all, just being away from the office is a source of anxiety.

It's not easy, but these tips can give you guidance:

• Don't attempt a "veg-out" vacation

Just laying out on the beach and doing nothing is not the best way for a workaholic to relax, because he or she needs something to distract his mind from thoughts about work. It's much more helpful to plan some activities, and it's recommended that these be compulsory or paid for in advance so that the workaholic will be less tempted to skip out and do work. A good idea to effectively focus on something different from work is to try a "new" activity - learning a new skill, or playing a new sport.

• Don't cram too much into your vacation

It is important, though, to not overdo the activities. If you run yourself ragged on your vacation, you're really not helping the cause. Seek a healthy balance of eating, activity, and rest.

• Get some physical activity

Activities in general don't have to by physical. Mentally stimulating activities are great, as long as they keep the mind off of work. But at least some physical activity is good. Physical exercise can release endorphins (the natural "feel-good" drugs in your brain), and also helps to burn off excess amounts of adrenaline and cortisol (hormones produced by your system in response to stress - which can cause negative effects if sustained long term).

• Manage your level of connectivity

Being totally disconnected from the office can create a feeling of being out of control, which is stressful. So it can be helpful to have some contact with the office, which can actually help you to relax more. But you have to put clear limits on how you connect so that you don't get drawn into a working mindset.

One suggestion is to only allow yourself to use a laptop/cell phone before breakfast, and then to turn it off so that you can really enjoy your time on vacation (with the comfort that you've already made sure that everything is OK at the office).

• Develop support in the office

It's common for the workaholic to fear that his co-workers are gunning for his job, and to have a defensive mindset. But the most effective method for long term success is to develop relationships with trustworthy co-workers who can cover for you. Then you can relax more at ease, knowing that they will deal with emergencies. They can also filter what you need to deal with while you're on vacation.

Vacations - Your Weapon Against Workaholism

Workaholism will ruin not only your vacations, but your health and your relationships, if you don't deal with it. It is a very serious problem, and requires a serious commitment to overcome.

If you want to conquer your workaholism, taking a vacation can be the starting point. Use the tips above to help you get moving in the right direction towards freedom.

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Resources:

For more information and other perspectives on workaholism and vacations, consider the following articles:

• Why Relaxing Is Hard Work - A helpful article in the Wall Street Journal discussing reasons why people find it hard to detach from work and strategies to help them do it. Discusses workaholism as one factor

• A Workaholic's Worst Nightmare? Vacation - an article in the New York Times discussing people who don't take vacations and their reasons

• Summertime: Rehab Time for Workaholics - an article in Lifehack describing a more radical "cold-turkey" approach to using vacations to recover from workaholism

The Edmonton Journal has an excellent article on the value of vacations, even in the face of the current tendency to let vacation time slip away unused.

In the article "Be a better worker -- take a vacation," the author shares a balanced analysis of the difficulties of taking a vacation in the current economic climate and the resulting job pressure.

The article includes valuable statistics. (Did you know that one study showed that 67% of employees across North America didn't use all their vacation time in 2009?)

There are also valuable insights from psychologist Nancy Hurst and stress-relief coach Sheryl Stanton.

Beverly Coggins of "1-2-3... Get Organized," a professional organizer, has put her expertise to use to create a vacation check list to use in preparing for your vacation.

This check list can help you to remember to take care of little details that you might otherwise forget.

And knowing that those details are taken care of can give you greater peace of mind on your vacation, so that you can relax with your mind free from all worries.

See Beverly's Check List to Prepare for Vacation

Thank's Beverly!

Vacations to Explore New Places - Wonderful but Tiring

Vacations can be a wonderful way to explore new places and get to know more of the world.

When we vacation, we look for all the unique things a destination has to offer. We browse travel guides, ask friends for advice, visit visitors bureaus and plan to explore all our vacation location has to offer.

However, since there is never enough time to see everything, this approach to vacations can make you run yourself ragged with the end result that you finish your vacation tired and worn out.

Aren't Vacations Supposed to be Relaxing?

That is not the ideal, because vacations are supposed to be a time to relax and recharge, not to wear yourself out more!

However, with just a little twist on this approach, you can actually have the enjoyment of fully exploring an area and getting to know all of its hidden attractions, yet do it  in a relaxing and refreshing way.

What is the twist?

Explore your local area over time

Instead of heading far away and exploring an area in the limited time of a typical vacation, stay close to home and explore your local area over an extended period of time.

For example, as I write this, it is still early in summer. The summer is a perfect time to create the feeling of an extended "slow-down" vacation all summer long.

A Relaxing Vacation That Extends All Summer Long

Throughout the summer you can plan relaxing local getaways. Your city or your local area is bound to have various attractions that you've never actually visited, or special events that you never take advantage of. Well, now you can actually enjoy them.

You can do your extended relaxing vacation either as day trips, or 1 or 2 night stays in a hotel if you want to escape from the house for a little while. You can plan your extended local vacation activities just on weekends, or take a day off for an extended weekend, or take advantage of holidays.

Do you need some ideas for activities for your extended local vacation?

• Explore your local culture and history - museums, art centers, and other cultural exhibits can reveal fascinating facts about the people and events, past and present, of your area.
• Call or go by your local Visitor's Bureau. They probably have several ideas of places to go that you wouldn't have thought of. They can probably tell you of special events that are coming up as well.

Whatever you do, make sure that you remember that the purpose is to relax and enjoy yourself.

• Don't fill up your schedule!
• Take your time!
• Allow extra time to explore things you come across that you didn't plan on.
• Let yourself slow down.

And have a great (though different) vacation!

Acknowledgement: The idea for this post was inspired by an article in the Independent Mail newspaper of Anderson, South Caroline: Rediscover Anderson

I came across an excellent article by Deb McLean in her blog "Marketing, Motherhood, and Mayhem."

Deb clearly understands the difficulty of getting away from work in order to take a vacation. But she also understands the importance and the value of making vacations a priority.

In light of that delicate balance, she offers some excellent tips for planning a vacation even when it's hard to get away from work.

Here's the article with Deb's tips:

It’s time to take that relaxing vacation, right?

My favorites are:

• Take Mini-Vacations if you can’t get away for extended periods of time.
• Give yourself a little time after you get back from vacation before you go into the office so you're not already behind when you go back to work
• No cell phone or laptop after breakfast - you need to really be away!

Thanks, Deb, for sharing your excellent insights!

There are two cases to think about as far as kids and cruise vacations go:

1. The first is when you have a family with kids, and you have to decide whether to take your kids on a cruise with you.
2. The second is when you're planning to go on a cruise vacation, and you don't have kids of your own.

If the purpose of your cruise vacation is to relax (which we believe it always should be - that's what vacations are for!), the first case can be sort of complicated. There's a lot of things to think about before you can decide what will really be best for you and your family and your relaxation.

But the second case is not that hard. In general, if they are not your own kids, your vacation will be more relaxing if they're not around! Especially on a cruise vacation, young children and teenagers tend to disturb the peace and quiet you are looking for on a cruise, especially if there are large numbers of them.

Planning a Relaxing Cruise Vacation Without Kids

So, then, how can you plan your cruise vacation so that it actually will be relaxing (and not overrun with kids)?

It's really not that hard. Cruise lines offer different types of cruises, and by evaluating your options carefully you can choose a cruise which will allow you to enjoy all the peaceful relaxation you desire.

Here are some tips to consider when planning your relaxing cruise vacation:

• Check what kind of activities are offered on the cruise, and choose one which doesn't offer children-oriented activities.
  (Since cruise lines tend to market some cruises specifically towards younger couples with families in order to sell extra tickets and to win them as future customers, if you avoid those specific cruises you will generally not have many children or teenagers on your cruise.)
• When planning the date of your vacation, make sure you don't go during school vacation dates. In general families will only bring their kids on a cruise if they're not in school. So if you avoid summer, Christmas, and Spring Break dates, there should be very few kids on your cruise.
• Finally, to avoid kids, it's probably better to avoid the Disney, Princess, and Carnival cruise lines, because they tend to attract more families with children.

With these simple tips in mind, you can enjoy a more peaceful and relaxing cruise holiday, which is what it's all about!

Hat Tip: Thanks to Johnathan whose post "Cruise Holidays With Children Or Without Children" inspired the idea for this post.