Posted on Thursday, 31st May 2018

I recently returned from a holiday abroad. It lead me to think about the benefits holidays provide to us.

Time and space for creative thinking

We have so many distractions these days, the time to just sit and be are becoming less and less. A holiday abroad is often a time when we do just that. Holidays provide us an opportunity to sit and relax without feeling guilty for it. This in turn allows our minds to wander without distraction. When this happens we can often find solutions to problems we’ve been thinking about, or create new ideas. I recently watched a brilliant TED talk which speaks about a similar idea.

Provides perspective

Have you heard the saying, meditate for one hour and if you don’t have time, meditate for 2 hours. The same goes for holidays. If you don’t have any time to take yourself away from work for a day, then you need to do it for a week. Getting away from your daily stresses can often put them into perspective when you’re back.

Good for your health

Holidays really are good for your health. Studies have shown that holidays can reduce the risk of heart disease in both men and women.

Quality time with loved ones

If you are going on holiday with loved ones this provides a wonderful opportunity to spend some great quality time together.

You might see a friend every week for a dinner, or you might live with a partner and feel like you see them all the time. But having an extended period of time, with less distractions, and with you feeling relaxed can often make room for really talking to each other and having fun together.

Are your holiday blues telling you something?

It’s normal to feel a bit sad about your holiday being over, but if the thought of going back to your day to day life and work fills you with real dread then it might be useful to look at why. Do you need to think about making some changes? In his article about the psychological benefits of going on holiday, William Reville says:

“Do not worship vacations. It is important to enjoy your entire life: work and leisure.”