Everyone dreams of that world trip of 12 months or 3 weeks lazing on the Mediterranean coast. But even a short break is already very good for you. We explain how it works.
A Finnish study that has been running for a long time shows that taking short vacations on a regular basis is very good for you. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, for example.
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Timo Strandberg is a professor at the University of Helsinki and also one of the researchers. He states that taking a holiday lowers stress levels, which is very nice for both our body and our mind. To achieve the positive effects, your holiday does not immediately have to last three weeks, even with a long weekend away or a midweek break you already relax sufficiently.
After such a break, the effects often disappear quickly, he believes. We fall back into old habits and are immediately busy again. However, if you are more active during your mini-break and do yoga, for example, you can extend the beneficial effects. So… book that house on Ameland and take your mat with you!
What is special is that you can also enjoy a holiday at home and achieve the same positive effects for your health. The trick is to really disconnect from your work. And also no brain teasers about how to do that with your family's schedules after the holidays (BSO, horseback riding, running, homework support and in between eating, sleeping and housekeeping - park it).
And if you're not convinced enough yet, there's even something to be said for saying goodbye to that 3-week camping-in-France routine altogether. Because the same research shows that people who go for several short - instead of one long - vacation benefit more from these positive effects on their health. According to Strandberg, one of the explanations for this is that for many workers, the work simply remains during their absence. And so the pile is discouragingly high after returning. That is a lot less intense after a break of a few days.
