Why Are Vacations Essential Especially For Women? And During the Holidays Even More.
Have you ever wondered why the rate of work-related stress in women is 50% higher compared to the men of the same age?
And the answer is not that simple. Even if they are working from home, especially during this pandemic of COVID-19, the stress levels among them are increasing every day. But why?
Women mostly overwork to prove themselves at the workplace because of the employees’ high competition of performance and potential. They also have to perform the traditional role at home by managing the household and taking care of kids (if they are moms) after office hours–and extra hours of overtime make the work-life balance impossible to keep. In case if they are single parents, they are the sole bread earners of the family or maybe sometimes have to look after the dependent elderlies.
Women try to fulfill all of their responsibilities throughout the day perfectly while at the cost of neglecting their own physical and mental health, which is why they have to suffer many psychological and physical health-related issues like anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia, indigestion, headaches, lack of appetite, diabetes, blood pressure, heart diseases and much more.
Taking time off from work and household duties during the holiday seasons has many benefits for you and your families’ mental and physical health, so don’t compromise and go on vacation.
Remove Stress and Anxiety from Your Life to Live Fully
A survey on Gender and Stress conducted by the American Psychology Association (APA) reveals that 49% of women reported that their stress levels have increased over the past five years compared to 39% men. The survey also shows that women are more likely to show stress symptoms mentally and physically than men.
Moreover, the survey results depict married women are at a higher risk of getting stress-related symptoms than single women.
Besides, women are more concerned about their relationships with family and friends. If they cannot give time to their loved ones, they get more stressed out. About 84% of women said that having a good relationship with their families is essential to them; however, 67% reported that they succeed at keeping up with their relationships.
Even Planning Your Own Vacations Helps to Reduce Stress
Again, it’s hard to avoid stress in your life, but it’s not impossible. One of the most incredible ways is to plan and go on vacations during the holidays. Because you won’t find a better opportunity than this to leave all your stress and anxiety behind and go for having fun on the beaches of Bali, getting enchanted with the spiritual vibes of Turkey, enjoying the aesthetics of Italy, maybe preferring a wanderlust in the streets of Paris, or maybe like my family, we prefer a camping trip nearby.
Most importantly, planning your vacations helps you reduce stress. The excitement you feel when you prepare for your dream tourist destinations, luxurious hotel bookings, delicious foods that you will have in the best restaurants of your desired place gives you immense pleasure that your body immediately gets an adrenaline rush that increases the dopamine levels in your body – eventually making you forget the stress you were going through earlier.
Becoming a Better Version of Yourself with Improved Physical Health
You might be thinking about how vacations can help you improve your physical health, and the answer is straightforward. When you can manage your stress levels, it affects your mental health and physical too.
According to research, stress alters your body’s immune system. You are more prone to catching diseases and getting sick than a stress-free person. When you are more stressed, you might have noticed that you get cold and flu, including bowel syndrome at times, which keeps you awake at night.
Taking regular vacations is as essential as drinking plenty of water, taking exercise, taking naps in the day, sleeping for 7-8 hours at night, and eating healthy foods daily. Vacations help you relax your body. Exposing your body to a different environment with more oxygen soothes your skin and relaxes your blood levels. According to Framingham Heart Study, women who regularly vacationed within two years are 50% less likely to die from coronary heart diseases or heart attacks than those who did not go on vacations for over six years.
Vacations Are a Chance to Change Your Lifestyle
Holidays are the time to relax, chill, and have fun. But what if you end up more stressed in such times instead of getting yourself relaxed?
The survey conducted by American Psychology Association on Holidays and Stress shows that women tend to take more stress during holidays when they are home. They are more worried about decorating the house, shopping for gifts for their family and friends, and planning and managing the holiday feasts. Also, quite often, women are more likely to have the stress of lack of money to handle all the expenses during holiday seasons. All of these worries lead them to unhealthy food and alcohol consumption
Vacations during holidays not only help you get the chances to make your health better, but they also provide you the opportunity to change your lifestyle entirely. Unhealthy eating habits need to be avoided in such stressful times. Therefore, vacations are a great escape from bitter realities that you would never want to taste during holidays.
You can pay more attention to what you eat and how much you eat. On vacations, you don’t eat mindlessly everything you have in front of you. And, you are more likely to go for a walk or visit places that motivate you to change your current lifestyle as well. All of this helps you reduce weight and makes you fit too.
On top of that, when you feel relaxed, you get a night of better quality sleep without any worry about office work, home chores, relationships, or any other financial issues.
Think and Reflect on Yourself to Improve Your Travelling Experience
Going out on vacations and spending your time in a soothing outdoor environment gives you peace of mind to enjoy your life better. It helps you consider your choices for your overall lifestyle. You are better able to have mindful activities during your vacations
You get more time to think and reflect about your life and plan ahead of the moment for many things you want to achieve. You can also ponder on your current stressors and work out to eliminate them from your life.
During vacations, you get more time for your self-care and self-love that you are unable to manage all through the normal days. Vacations are the best time you reflect on hard decisions with full clarity and mindfulness.
Being mindful of your vacations is essential because it helps you enjoy every single moment you are living. You are fully present in the moments –unbothered by any worrisome thoughts.
Strengthen Your Relationships and Friendships
Vacations cannot be more exciting without family and friends. It’s great if you want to go alone and visit places that you wish to go to. But holidays are the best way for you to strengthen your bonds with your partner, children, parents, and friends. It helps you make more sociable, taking you out of your alone comfort zone, ultimately making you feel happy.
You can plan your vacations with your family and visit a place everybody truly wants to go to. You can plan various activities, games, adventures together and have fun. It will help you ponder on your relationships and allow you to close the past gaps that you might have with your loved ones. Family vacations are a great way to create beautiful memories that keep you happier whenever you think about them later.
According to studies, married women who go on vacations with their spouses are more likely to be satisfied with their marriage than single or uncommitted relationships. Research shows that couples are found more romantic during vacations due to the increased libido levels. A sexual relationship is another excellent way to reduce stress and make your bond closer with your partner.
Sometimes it’s marvelous to catch up with your old high school, college, or hometown friends and have a girl trip altogether. Going out with your girl-friends could be more enjoyable when you share common interests. You feel freer in your circle and have better fun things that you sometimes cannot do with your parents or children.
Spending Time in Nature Improves Your Cognitive Health
In this busy life full of technology and being stuck on the screens all day, no one gets much time to get closer to nature. Visiting places enriched with natural beauty lets you feel the real essence of this universe that you cannot have within your office, home, or city life.
Exposure to nature, whether it’s a stroll in a city park or a day spent hiking in the woods, has been linked to a slew of advantages, including greater focus, less stress, higher mood, lower risk of mental diseases, and even increased in empathy and collaboration.
Interacting with nature has significant benefits in your cognitive health. The best way to have such trips is to find places around the countryside to experience the village life close to nature. You can also choose to go to mountainous or hilly areas where you can have a chance to go for a hike.
Going for a walk in the woods or fields, listening to the chirping of birds, the rustling of grass and tree leaves have a significant impact on your cognitive abilities. So, why not take a chance and plan your vacation in such greenery.
Comfortable Clothing during the Holidays and Vacations
Are you tired of getting dressed in formal clothing for every event and occasion you have to attend every day, including office and out-of-office hours? If yes, then we have a solution for that, too.
A significant advantage of holidays and vacations is that you don’t always have to be spick and span in your formal dress for the adventures you are aiming to have. You can wear comfortable clothes the way you want and feel relaxed.
Nobody is going to judge you or ask you not to wear comfy or cozy clothes during holidays. It’s the best time you can enjoy the comfort in your clothes according to your body’s needs and let your body breathe naturally.
According to the research conducted by Northwestern University, USA, on Enclothed Cognition, it is found that wearing specific articles of comfortable clothing has a significant impact on the psychology and performance of a person.
We understand everyone has their own definition of comfortable or casual clothing, and it’s definitely a state of mind that tells you which article of clothing you feel more comfortable with. However, external, environmental, and social factors also influence this definition of comfortable clothing.
We have an extraordinary line of comfortable clothes that you can pick up for your holidays and vacations. You can wear them in every mood and setting you like, and you must feel comfortable; that’s what matters in the end.
Improved Productivity at Work or Home after Vacations
Time spent during vacations is no doubt stress-free if you plan and work out to do so without being stressed about what’s happening back at the office or your home. So do the time you spend after vacations.
When you return from vacations, you are more energized, motivated, positive, and happier to put your best in everything you do, be it office, home, or relationships. According to APA’s survey on the improved productivity of employees, after vacations show that 66% of people feel they have more energy to do their work after vacations, 68% said they are more optimistic, 57% are motivated, 57% said they are less stressed,
After vacations, you put more effort into your work so that you can plan another exciting trip by the end of the year or maybe after six months. The positive vibes of vacations last with you for days, weeks, or sometimes months to accelerate your routine ahead.
Vacations Can Be Made More Fun If You Plan Them the Right Way
Previous research has shown that the effect of vacation cannot be described only by the absence of job stress. Instead, how a person plans their vacation makes a significant difference in the health-related outcomes of the trip. Taking time for oneself and one’s needs, exercising, getting enough sleep, and socializing in a pleasant holiday atmosphere all help tourists recover faster, especially those who reported greater levels of pre-vacation mental tension. More considerable time-zone variations from home and health issues have a detrimental impact on holiday outcomes.
So, now that you know that even planning a vacation can reduce your stress level, there is no better day to start than today. You don’t have to compromise on your commitments over your professional ones. You can follow some of our great tips to include them in your planner and make your holidays more enjoyable and stress-free.
