In this day and age, we are supposed to function like machines. Preferably 365 days a year. No matter whether in the sun, rain, snow. Regardless of whether it’s during the day in the sweltering heat of summer or on cold wet winter nights when the rest of the world is asleep! For many people, work is associated with stress. And rightly so. Constant pressure to work and perform has a hugely negative impact on the psyche and health. Without rest, it is very difficult to keep up this pace over the long term. And exactly for this reason it is of such great importance on sufficient vacation and recovery to provide!
Effect of stress on the body
Especially in the working world, many employees and employers are not up to the permanent stress. The result is burn-out in many people. It has already been proven several times what effects stress has on the human body. In the past, stress-related illnesses were rather laughed at, but at the latest due to globalization and the networked world, the number of illnesses caused by it has increased rapidly. Work-related stress is mainly caused by mental overload. In most cases the demands are higher than the possibilities to cope! Stress can be triggered by:
- The working atmosphere: In some companies – but also as a self-employed person – the working atmosphere is a major factor in the development of stress. If, for example, mutual distrust prevails, there is no trustworthy environment or workload and feasibility are not valued in any way, the working climate is especially present for the emergence. In extreme cases, mobbing or personal conflicts are also a stress trigger.
- Leadership behavior: Some people who are responsible for managing departments or entire operations are incompetent as leaders. If senior managers do not distribute accurate tasks or contradictory tasks, you pass on a certain level of stress to their employees. Not for nothing there are appropriate training opportunities for leadership tasks, such as business administration or HR management.
- The qualification: this means, on the one hand, that some people can neither perform nor have learned certain activities. On the other hand, however, the peculiarity of the workplace should also be mentioned. Due to noise, dust, workload and long working days with comparatively little free time, the stress level increases.
There are also several types of stress, which depending on the form can be different health hazards. The long-term effects of stress, among other things, is still insufficiently researched. “Burn-out” in particular is on the rise in the working world. Burn-out has little to do with the person himself, but with the hopelessness of the situation that many sufferers face. Burn-out usually begins insidiously and can be recognized early on by the following characteristics:
- Shortening and postponing vacation due to work.
- Work is regularly taken home
- Feelings, such as exhaustion, irritability and emptiness, occur
- Work is endured with great stress
- Important people become indifferent to the persons
- Despite great zeal for work, successes remain absent
- Too large, one-sided work performance in enterprises.
One of the ways out of burn-out and the permanent stress load on the body is to take a vacation. Only by taking time for yourself and displacing the permanent work and thus stress load can be restored recovery, vital energy, joy and health.
What could a relaxing vacation look like?
Vacation is fun – active vacation can also bring body and soul back into balance. People often immediately think of hours and days of tanning on beach loungers when they think of “relaxing vacations.” After seven days at the latest, the beach, the local tourist restaurants and the hotel resorts have been explored. What now? What many people don’t realize is that a relaxing vacation doesn’t automatically mean doing nothing. This does not mean working while on vacation. On the contrary, vacation means giving yourself – and only yourself – time off, not your partner, family or friends! So why not just take an active vacation?Those who do a lot of sports even during the year know about the positive physiological and psychological effects of sports. Even on vacation, you can take advantage of the opportunity to engage in sports activity. For example, the following active sports would be easy to learn and fun despite the effort:
- Take a diving course: In one of the many diving schools, which exist almost in every place in this world where tourists are drawn to the sea, one is taught the marine biology of numerous corals and the deep blue, endless world of the oceans, in addition to sound technical equipment and equipment from special diving teachings. Best of all, diving courses are usually cheap and guarantee feelings of happiness and amazement in the water in the right regions!
- Go skiing: If you want to switch off in the dull season and have enough of the fog and cold of the city, you should take the opportunity to go down in the high mountains wide slopes in the midst of a magnificent mountain panorama. In addition to plenty of sunshine, which we so lack especially in the winter months in cities and in the countryside, skiing is also a sport suitable for beginners and advanced skiers.
- Swimming, running and cycling: All three sports can be done with almost no effort. If running is too strenuous during the day, you can try it in the early morning or around dusk, for example! Swimming is also a very gentle sport that is easy on the joints and allows us to really relax our skin in the sea. Bicycles can usually also be rented on vacation – in addition to many places that would leave you exhausted on foot, cycling is extremely healthy, especially for our cardiovascular system.
What should be considered when doing activities on vacation?
When stress keeps you at bay, relaxation on vacation is important. Vacations with light and moderate activities help especially sustainable to recover. With all activities on vacation, of course, the proportionality must be observed. A little effort is already allowed, but the added value should be noticeable especially after the sport. Those who feel exhausted or have circulation problems after the activities should take it more leisurely in the future or switch to “gentler” activities. Things to consider with activities:
- Goal: The vacation should not consist mainly of sports, but of relaxation. Overexertion and self-proving are neither purposeful nor health-promoting!
- Effect: Through the activities should be after the sport an effect noticeable! Your own body and its training condition are decisive for the intensity and type of sport! Training plans are to be discarded on vacation – it’s all about relaxation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, activities vacations are a great way to actively counteract stress in the working world and burn-out. Taking activity vacations also actively protects your mind and body!
