Suburbanista Naperville Presents...
Healthcare is a "Beach"... Take a Vacation to Wellness
Guest Blogger: Gina Jones
Just imagine… you’re sitting by the pool sipping a cold drink listening to Bob Marley song, “Don’t worry about a thing…”; or falling asleep as you lay under a palm tree listening to the ocean throw waves onto the beach every ten seconds; or when you are at 11,000 feet, you’re standing in your skis at the top of Copper Mountain in Colorado looking across the breathtaking ravines saturated with pine treetops; or its all aboard the Oasis of the Seas listening to a mariachi band while the ship pulls into the port of Cozumel.
Aaahhh…no meetings, no conference calls, no issues, no “crack” berries, no laptops, no stress. It’s so simple yet no one sees it…vacations help improve your health. We are so used to being in the flight or fight mode, that if we ever try to relax, it seems difficult for our brain to tell our body what to do. We need to shift our bodies back to neutral - it’s time we take vacations more seriously. The famous Framingham heart study showed over a time span of 20+ years, while tracking thousands of people who took a vacation of one week or more on an annual basis, had reduced risk of heart disease. Men reduced their risk by 32% and women by 50%! Other studies showed that non-vacationers had eight times more likelihood of dying at a younger age and two or three more times likely to develop depression. Now being a business owner, mother, wife, volunteer and catechist who multi-tasks (of course!), I believe in these statistics because of what I feel every day – STRESS! Funny thing is I already have a history of heart disease in my family, increasing the probability of incident - so it’s time for me to de-stress and fast!
Why don’t we make time to re-group? After a vacation, don’t we feel spectacular, happy, and ready to go on with a sense of new energy and creativity? Doesn’t that benefit relationships, enhance bonding with family and friends, and positively boost our mood? Doesn’t that benefit the boss when we return to work and have that mindset of contribution and readiness? Yet we Americans will still forfeit an average of two earned vacation days a year, according to an Expedia survey. That means we throw away 226 million unused vacation days nationwide. If an employee truly believes that the boss wants them to go on vacation, get the rest and relaxation, and come back to the office ready to give 100%, would they give 100%? Logic tells me yes and not because of any statistic, but because it is just human nature. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in collecting hard evidence before implementing a change, that we lose sight of the mental benefits behind a positive change. Having the right mindset translates to energy that takes action to get things done whether it be at work, home or elsewhere.
Why don’t we make time to re-group? After a vacation, don’t we feel spectacular, happy, and ready to go on with a sense of new energy and creativity? Doesn’t that benefit relationships, enhance bonding with family and friends, and positively boost our mood? Doesn’t that benefit the boss when we return to work and have that mindset of contribution and readiness? Yet we Americans will still forfeit an average of two earned vacation days a year, according to an Expedia survey. That means we throw away 226 million unused vacation days nationwide. If an employee truly believes that the boss wants them to go on vacation, get the rest and relaxation, and come back to the office ready to give 100%, would they give 100%? Logic tells me yes and not because of any statistic, but because it is just human nature. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in collecting hard evidence before implementing a change, that we lose sight of the mental benefits behind a positive change. Having the right mindset translates to energy that takes action to get things done whether it be at work, home or elsewhere.
So do yourself and your family a favor: start planning that vacation now! Keep the big picture in mind when justifying the vacation - do it for your mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being. You will be a new person afterwards and most likely be around a lot longer!
You deserve a memorable, relaxing and affordable experience while on vacation. If you would like to learn how to avoid the marketing hype and to travel at exclusively lower prices, you may contact me at (630) 915-1968 or gina.jones@tributumcorp.com.
Gina Jones is a Vacation Benefit Specialist who partners with employers to offer a unique employee vacation benefit. She helps to attract and retain top talent, improve performance, and provide incentives to encourage goal achievement. To learn more about her wholesale vacation programs for consumers and businesses, Gina can be reached at (630) 915-1968 or gina.jones@tributumcorp.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment