Even presidents need vacations. It is the right thing to do.
Summer is here, children are out of school exhausted and depleted. Mothers feel the stress of a houseful of young idle hands at school year’s end and fathers feel weary of their endless responsibilities.
Everyone wants out of the hum-drum of daily life, the prison of routine. The best way out is a holiday.
During our stressful times, holidays are a necessity rather than a luxury. Any change, humble as it may be, is bound to reap benefits for body and mind.
Family holidays give its members a relaxed setting; allows them to think about things other than the mundane, the daily chores and “what’s for dinner”.
The golden beaches await you; the ocean waves are calling you and your body is yearning for outdoor activities beneath the burning sunshine. Whether it’s the extra dose of vitamin D, or the release from regular clothes or the wide open skies, you get a physical boost and improve your confidence.
Many summer resorts are ready to embrace you, so tarry no longer.
Before we promote the benefits of a holiday, let us first examine the consequences, if you forego it.
All adults, including students live stressful lives, without even realising it. Chronic stress takes its toll on the body, diminishing its ability to resist infection, maintain vital function or even avoid injury.
When stressed you are more likely to become ill, your arteries take a beating which might lead to unexpected accidents.
Sleep is forever a victim of stress. It is rather redundant to emphasise the importance of an eight-hour “beauty sleep”; somehow holidays induce sleep, leaving you more refreshed.
Digestion is another side-effect and even the genetic material in the cells of your body may experience negative alterations
Memory is also worn out because you are irritable mentally, when under stress. You end up making poor decisions which result in more depression, loneliness and isolation.
The cure for stress is at your fingertips. Go on a vacation.
Treat yourself to a revitalising, replenishing, rejuvenating break. A holiday from your normal habits and your stress will fall off like the leaves off an onion. Your body develops more white blood cells that help fight viruses and tumours.
You can go off alone on a holiday or with a companion, seeking new adventures, sharing the excitement, relaxation and conversation.
Psychologists agree that family vacations rate the highest on all fronts.
Research by the Family Holiday Association has shown that 40 per cent of Brits have created their happiest memories while on family holidays and 24 per cent call on those happy memories when the going gets tough.
According to a BBC documentary on family holidays, positive memories are scientifically proven “to stick around” for longer than bad ones. Most of them are the result of a holiday with the family.
More communication is possibly improving family relationships that often get a beating under the daily pressures of life. A relaxed time together with nothing else on your mind is rare, but can heal wounds and repair cracks in a relationship.
Researchers tell us that only one in four children talk to their parents about things that matter, more than once a week. There is precious little time, except during holidays. Refreshed thinking has a positive impact on how the family interacts and communicates.
You see them chattering away, laughing, loving like they never do at home. Away from stress and commitments, they have the time and it may well be the only time during the whole year.
How precious is it to get to know your children, hang out with them and watch them interact? Unconsciously, your love grows for them and theirs for you.
Children love to play. It is a crucial part of childhood. It is of immeasurable value in the process of growing. Games teach patience, skills, understanding and creativity. Playing is good for adults too and for almost the same reasons. Do you play?
One third of fathers admit they have no time to play and one in six say they do not even know how to play. Learn. Learn to play. Learn to play with your kids. It is a massive stress relaxer.
Focusing on health has become a primary purpose of mind.
A research by Holt and Linstead et al (experts in management and communication) in 2015, highlighted our “relationship health”, which has a massive impact on our physical health. Start with family relationships.
Physical time together beats technological time by miles. Even if technology has allowed us to communicate more than ever before, it has taken a big bite out of our physical body contact.
Body language is far more eloquent than a million WhatsApp texts.
Adult students seldom realise the value of a summer vacation. Instead of “chilling out” they burn themselves more. Summer courses, classes, internships and jobs are not the best tools to prepare one for a new school year. To relax, recharge and replenish those genes is far more fulfilling.
Researchers in the Netherlands measured the effect vacations have on happiness.
The study published in the journal of Quality of Life found that the largest boost of happiness comes from planning a vacation. The anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks. After the vacation it quickly dropped to baseline.
It makes sense. We’ll take it: anticipation, vacation and all.
The store of memories lasts a lifetime.
A version of this article appears in print in the 4th May, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
“Young and old come forth to play/ On a sunshine holiday.”
John Milton (1608-1674)
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