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Yes, You Really Do Need A Vacation
The Psychological and Physical Benefits of Rest
by Kathleen Nickerson, PhD
DAWN Magazine, Summer 2006
Are you overworked? If you’re part of a new trend, the answer is probably yes. Just like apple pie, another American tradition is emerging: vacation shrinkage. Vacation shrinkage is the trend of U.S. workers taking fewer and fewer vacation days. Compared to our colleagues across the pond, Americans take 16 days less vacation and personal time. On average, we work about 20 percent more each week than workers in Germany, Europe’s largest economy and one of the world’s wealthiest. This translates into two things: we are one of the world’s strongest workforces . . . but one consisting of tired, overworked, and stressed workers.
Is there anything wrong with working 60-hour weeks, volunteering until the middle of the night, giving up all your free time to care for others? As a self-described workaholic, I can tell you, yes, there is—you pay a heavy price for not resting or taking vacation time. You may not feel it right away, but it will catch up with you. So how much of a difference does it really make? Just ask your co-workers, spouse, or kid—they’ll tell you that you’re never around, and when you are, you’re not much fun.
Leading employment analysts note that working too much takes a heavy toll on the psychological and physical health of workers. Some 32 percent of American workers eat lunch while working, and 32 percent never leave the building once they arrive at the office. Almost 20 percent of workers say their jobs make them feel older than they are. And 17 percent say work causes them to lose sleep at home. What psychologists know about this is phenomenon is simple: less rest leads to increased anxiety, poor motivation, irritability, acute stress, depression, and ultimately, burnout.
Down time is when your brain rests and restores itself. Denying yourself time to relax denies you the opportunity to recharge, worsens your mood, and lessens your ability to think both logically and creatively. Think about this in terms of diminishing returns: the more energy you invest in work without taking a break, the less creative, productive, and responsive you’ll be.
Perhaps you worry that by taking a vacation, your boss will doubt your productivity, clients will think you’re irresponsible, co-workers will resent you, employees will question your loyalty, and you’ll wonder about how replaceable you are. However, research shows just the opposite: people respect others who have clear boundaries as being in control of their lives. Many people reason that if you can manage your time and your life, you can certainly manage the project, the assignment, or whatever the task may be.
Ultimately, the goal is to achieve balance: everyone needs a different amount of rest. You need to listen to yourself. If you feel anxious, can’t sleep without dreaming about tomorrow’s meeting, and find yourself talking to your kids about needing more “bandwidth,” then it’s time to take a break. Maybe you can re-charge quickly with a weekend getaway, but you might need more time and will benefit from taking a week—yes, a whole week—away from the office. What will happen at work while you’re on vacation? Simple: life will go on. Pick a date for your vacation, put in for the time off, and stick to it, and you’ll find that having the date to look forward to will help you get through the work ahead.
If taking a long break is not possible, do what you can to maximize every moment away from the office: take a walk during your lunch break, turn off your cell phone and blackberry on the weekend, go to bed earlier and make some time every day—even if it’s only 10 minutes—for yourself.
You can’t help others without helping yourself. Call it the oxygen mask theory: if you run out of air before you put your mask on, you can’t help others with theirs. No matter what type of work you do, you need to rest and the more you get, the more productive you’ll be. If you think you’re productive now, just imagine how you’ll feel after you’ve rested and recharged!
Dr. Kathleen Nickerson is a licensed clinical psychologist, who specializes in anxiety, relationship issues, and depression, in private practice in Newport Beach. She may be reached by calling 949.500.0546 or online at www. drkathynickerson.com. Dr. Nickerson would like to acknowledge the contributions of Jesse Rutherford to this article.
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