VACATION TIME DECLINING FOR AMERICANS
Air New Zealand's marketing team hired
former NASA scientists to assess the effects
of a vacation to New Zealand on the physical
and emotional well-being of potential
passengers from the US. Air New Zealand's
Roger Poulton, Executive Vice-President for
the Americas, found that 43% of Americans
didn't have vacation plans for the following
year because the country's work ethic demands
were so high. He noted that "the country's
work ethic demands productivity to the point
that it's actually undermining itself."
I know many of us in the United States and
abroad recognize and experience the negative
effects caused by increasingly demanding
workplaces. What can we do about it?
COMBAT STRESS WITH
AWAY TIME
Simon M. Trutt, M.D., a board-certified
psychiatrist in Portland, OR, found that "the
further away the destination, the greater the
anticipation of leaving work and other
stressors behind. The logic of vacations is
ironic but true: If you work too long and
hard, you'll begin to work less efficiently.
A good way to become more efficient at work
may be to take a vacation ─ that is, to
anticipate not working, then not to work for
a while, then to return home alert and
rested." Trutt walks his talk each year by
taking an annual eight-week summer trip to
France with his family.
STUDY SHOWS PERFORMANCE IMPROVES AWAY FROM
HOME
Excess levels of stress take a toll on our
alertness, sleep quality, sleep quantity,
cortisol levels and blood pressure. Air New
Zealand hired consultants from the
California-based firm,
Alertness Solutions, to study the effects of a
vacation to New Zealand for ten passengers
from Los Angeles, California. The Alertness
consultants used NASA-developed equipment and
methodology to measure brain, eye, muscle,
and heart rate activity, as well as
performance and mood. The testing started two
days before the passengers' trip and ended
two days after their return. Travelers also
kept a diary of their levels of enjoyment,
alertness, mood, stress and overall health.
Remarkably, the participants' performance
increased an average of 82%! Participants'
functioning dramatically increased in both
the alertness and motor areas. Upon returning
from the trip, traveler's got an average of
three times more deep sleep than before,
allowing their bodies cells to regenerate and
restore. They also got an average of twenty
minutes more sleep per night. The study also
showed their heart rates were lowered by more
than four percent.
IF YOU CAN'T GO TO NEW ZEALAND...
I hope this research helps to convince you
that time away can enhance your overall
well-being and productivity. Although a trip
to New Zealand sounds wonderful (it is on the
top of my list of exciting places to visit!),
we can reap similar benefits much closer to
home. Remembering that Dr. Trutt suggests a
far-off destination, could you plan to visit
a new city, go to a different country, or try
the mountains if you always go to the beach?
Remember to build anticipation for the trip
by reading about your destination and talking
to others both before the trip and when you
return.
ARM CHAIR TRAVEL
Another terrific way to transport yourself is
through Arm Chair Travel. The following books
will help take your mind to more exotic
destinations, even if your body insists that you
stay on the couch!
Eat,
Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: One
Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy,
India and Indonesia.
In
a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson:
Humorous travels in the land Down Under.
1,000
Places to See Before You Die: A
Traveler's Life List by Patricia Schultz:
An amazing collection of very special places
around the globe.
Great Travel Web Sites to Browse:
www.visitnorway.com
www.newzealand.com
goafrica.about.com
www.nps.gov
(US National Park Web Site)
EASE YOUR MIND
Each year, I have rented the same house on
Martha's Vineyard, an island off the coast of
Massachusetts. For many years I was so
consumed with worry about my life back in
Boston that I didn't stop to take in the
gorgeous views and peaceful surroundings or
to enjoy the wonderful guests who came to
visit. I have learned over the years to leave
my problems behind, and now I use my vacation
time to rest, rejuvenate and restore my
energy to tackle life's obstacles. If
relaxing is challenging for you, you might
want to make a list of your problems and
stresses and put them into a special bowl or
box. When you begin to think of these
problems, remind yourself that you have put
them away for the time being, and assure
yourself that you will pick them up when you
return. People with a spiritual focus ask the
Universe, God or Higher Power to help solve
their problems while they are away.
Use audio-tapes to transport you to a more
peaceful interior life:
Learning
the Relaxation Response: Guided Audio CD
Rana Chudnofsky, MEd; Jennifer Johnston,
LMHC; Laura Malloy, LICSW. www.mbmi.com
The
Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry by
Robert L. Leahy and Mike Chamberlain (Audio
CD - 2006)
Hemi-Sync
Relaxation (Mind Food) by Dr. C.
Norman Shealy (Audio CD - 2005)
MOVING FORWARD
Take a moment to write a few paragraphs about
the type of vacation you need and/or want.
What essential elements do you want to have
in this vacation? What do you want to be sure
to include in this vacation? What do you want
to be sure to leave behind when you go on the
vacation? Visualize positive images you want
to experience during your vacation, and
picture yourself saying, "Ah! Life is rough!"
Imagine yourself enjoying solitude,
connection, reading, activities, sight
seeing, or whatever it is your heart desires.
Scroll down to the Good News section to be
inspired by others who took time out to
explore their dreams, practice great
self-care and achieve their goals!
