Last weekend, I took a vacation.
The last time I went on an actual vacation away from home – not counting weekend day-trips to the beach or attending a gala after work – was over a year ago.
In other words... I was long overdue for a trip.
With some of my family, I traveled up to Stone Mountain (northeast of Atlanta) for the annual Highland Games that has been held at the base of the big mountainous rock for 47 years. My family is of Scottish heritage, and attending these games is an incredibly special part of maintaining our cultural heritage and meeting others who share the same "human story" as us.
Throughout the weekend, we tromped through mud and lived under umbrellas (thanks to the rain put off by Tropical Storm Nestor), camped at the base of Stone Mountain, ate more haggis than we probably should have, listen to bagpipers, wore our clan tartan and had an insurmountable level of fun.
Always, whenever I come home from a trip, I inevitably end up thinking, "This was nice... why did it take me so long to just take a vacation?"
And the truth is, I'm not alone.
According to the United States Travel Association, 52 percent of American employees finish their work year with unused vacation time.
A report published by Travel Agent Central in June of this year says that only 42 percent of Americans could "confidently answer" whether or not they had taken a vacation during their last year of employment – making this year's vacation participation level the lowest since 2013.
I know for myself, several factors lend towards my habit of being a 'work-a-holic.'
I don't like leaving things undone, I don't like the stress that can lead up to taking a vacation (the planning, saving, ticket buying, etc.), I don't like leaving work only to know that when I return, there will be a pile of to-do's left for my first day back from my trip.
According to a 2014 survey of American workers that was conducted by the GfK Public Affairs and Corporate Communications – my reasons for not taking time off are apparently similar to the reasons that a majority of Americans use to opt-out of vacation time.
Some said they didn't take time off in fear of returning to a "mountain of work." Meanwhile, others believed they couldn't take time off since "no one else" could do their job while they were away.
Others were afraid to take off lest their absence not be missed and therefore end up being seen as replaceable, and on the opposite end, some didn't plan a vacation to show greater dedication to their job and employer.
This refusal to take a break has been called a "work martyr complex" that stems from the flawed modern mindset that busyness is next to godliness.
From the moment we enter school, we are taught to stay busy like a never-stopping steam train barreling towards our final destination; there are classes, sports, after-school activities, clubs and mountains of homework. Every extracurricular activity must be backed by productiveness, and while there has been a recent push for childhood play... there is still a chasm when it comes to freeing up our time as adults.
Once we are out of high school and college, our schedules evolve into never-ending meetings, reports, phone calls, doctor's visits, family responsibilities, bringing our kids to all their extracurricular activities, and it really never ends.
Busyness has become the new creed – after all, if you aren't working, functioning, going at a break-neck pace non-stop, what are you even doing with your life?
However, just as lighthearted play is known to be beneficial for kids, having time away from work can be incredibly valuable for adults too.
Taking a vacation (whether to an out-of-town destination or staying home to relax) can reduce stress and anxiety, prevent heart disease – especially in men, improve your personal and professional productivity and can help you sleep better at night.
On a more innovative front, taking a vacation encourages creativity once you are back at your desk, gives you new life perspectives, prevents workload burnout, connects you with yourself and is crucial in developing stronger relationships with your family and friends.
While dedicating all our time, effort and (sometimes) soul to a job can definitely help us succeed professionally, there are times when we need to lay aside our workload and skip out for even just a weekend in favor of simply spend time with our families, exploring a new city, having an adventure or simply just being human in a new environment.
There's more to life than the workload piled up on your desk, and there is more to success than the gratification you feel at your job.
So here it is to vacations and the people who take them!
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