The benefits of taking time off are immense.
Relax, Max
Taking a little time to relax and unwind is no longer the luxury that previous generations thought it to be. It is absolutely essential to the health and wellbeing of all humans that we take time away from work to relax and just enjoy being. Working all the time is not a sustainable way of life; in fact, it’s no way of life at all! The work-life balance has to be just so in order for our lives to flourish.
Whether you take time off to go on vacation, to get a little exercise in, or just to put your feet up and chill, it’s essential that you have a reasonable amount of non-work time in your life. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of taking a little time to relax.
The Benefits of Taking Time Off -Lower Blood Pressure
Being in stressful situations, like work or school, tends to push our blood pressure up higher. Even if you love your job or your classes, you need to step away from that environment to allow your body to equalise a little bit.
While there are, of course, many other factors to blood pressure control, such as your diet and the amount of exercise that you get, stepping away from stress is an essential component to keeping it down. While your blood pressure ebbs and flows throughout the day and through different situations, an extended period of high blood pressure can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, and strokes.
Balanced Mental State
There are always a lot of thoughts running through your mind at any given moment, especially if you are at school or work. That constant, hectic pace can cause emotional and mental fatigue that can only really be cured by an extended period of relaxation.
Avoid getting to that point altogether by ensuring that you take time to relax on a regular basis. Because the mind and body are connected, tension or stress in the mental arena will eventually show in your body: tense muscles, spasms, and the like can be painful, uncomfortable, and dangerous.
If you feel the mental and physical tension building up during your workday, take a moment to roll and relax your shoulders, focus on unclenching your jaw, and take a few deep breaths. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you feel better! Physical aches and pains that come along with the mental ones can be distracting and take away from your quality of life.
The Benefits of Taking Time Off – Better Digestion
Relaxation can have a very positive effect on bodily functions like digestion. Being busy all the time might mean that you don’t make time to make nutritious meals and eat them in a relaxed setting. Slowing down allows you to properly nourish your body and also enjoy the meals that you’ve cooked! It’s a win-win.
Some gastrointestinal issues can come specifically from stress, and there are specific relaxation techniques that can help control them. When you are calm and relaxed, your autonomic nervous system is calm and relaxed as well: this is the system that regulates your automatic bodily functions.
If you’re never in a relaxed state, your sympathetic nervous system is activated and will redirect blood flow away from your digestive system so that you’re ready to take on whatever is stressing you out. Relaxed mealtimes mean that everything is functioning as it should be.
Improved Overall Quality of Life
People who do not take the time that their minds and bodies need to disengage from the stresses of daily life do not live as long as those who do. There are many other factors here as well, like diet, pre-existing conditions, exercise, et cetera. These factors all combine to form a delicate balance that should not be tipped too far one way or the other. When all these factors, including relaxation, are well balanced, your general quality of life improves.
You sleep better; you are more productive when you are at work; you are able to be present with loved ones because you are well-rested and recharged. You live well, and you live longer when relaxation is a regular part of your lifestyle.
No one looks back and says, “Boy, I’m glad I never gave a second thought to really enjoying my time on this earth.” Of course, as with all things, there must be balance: you cannot relax all day and expect to lead a comfortable life. However, people look back on the time that they took to relax, be it lying in the sun on a warm summer afternoon, playing board games with their family, or taking a vacation to a far-flung land, and remember how much they enjoyed those moments.
Wrap Up
Taking time off to relax is not something that you can avoid, even if you are a workaholic. It’s clear from the points in this article that striking the right balance is what’s essential in terms of relaxation time and work time; if you can manage that, you’ll be A for away!