V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N—Why We Need It
(September 2001)
Can you imagine giving your
employer back two vacation days a year? It's hard to fathom but
millions are doing it. According to a national survey, 18 percent of
Americans say they are so overworked that they can't use up their
vacation time. The trend is disturbing as it goes against all
medical guidance telling us that we need regular breaks to reduce
the stress and pressures we increasingly feel from
work.
Vacation Deprivation
According to a
survey commissioned by Expedia.com, Americans are giving more than
$19.3 billion back to their employers in unused vacation time—which
averages 1.8 days per year. The majority of those surveyed stated
that they understand the need to use vacation time to relax and
rejuvenate but are too busy to do so. The main reasons cited for not
taking all vacation time were work, family, or monetary concerns.
Despite many workers leaving vacation days unused each year,
the survey indicates that more than 71 percent wish their employer
gave an additional week of paid vacation each year. Americans have
far less vacation time than other countries—13 days a year on
average, compared to 25 or more in Japan, Canada, Britain, Germany,
and Italy. The majority of Americans surveyed didn't realize that
U.S. workers receive significantly less vacation time than workers
in other industrialized nations.
Health
Reasons
A vacation health study conducted by the
University of Pittsburgh and University of New York shows that
skipping your vacations may be an unhealthy habit. The five-year
study of 12,000 middle-aged men at high risk of heart disease found
that participants who failed to take a single vacation over the
five-year period of the study were more likely to develop coronary
heart disease later on. The death risk from coronary heart disease
also was higher.
While researchers admit that not all
potential variables that might increase heart disease and death
incidence were accounted for, they do believe that taking a vacation
is a healthy habit.
Vacations Are Life
Enhancing
Those who don't vacation will cite costs,
flying, and just the overall effort of planning a vacation as
reasons not to go. But given how hard we work these days, we need
vacations more than ever for our emotional heath and well-being. So
stop with the excuses. If you cannot take a full seven-day stretch,
why not try a long weekend? After all, taking a small break now and
then is better than not taking any at all.
Here is one New
Years' resolution that's easier than losing those added holiday
pounds: Take ALL your vacation days this new year! You deserve
them.
Additional Information:
The American Psychosomatic Society: Read the full
abstract of the study by the Department of Psychology (BBG), State
University of New York, Oswego, NY, and the Department of Psychiatry
(KAM), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, at Psychosomatic
Medicine online.
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