Take a vacation to clear your mind , escape the stress of work or simply recover is often a good idea. But when it’s time to relax and have a good time, things aren’t always so simple. Not all holidays are successful holidays!
By the way, a Dutch study showed that most people are not happier after their vacation. In this research, 1500 adults were interviewed before and after their vacation, and the researchers made some interesting findings:
As always, the devil is in the details! Let’s dig a little deeper into the effect of vacations on well-being to better understand how to make the most of them .
Holidays: a non-guaranteed positive effect
A 2014 survey shows that vacations can make you happier, healthier and more productive when you return home. Indeed, the stress of the trip is a central factor that can greatly undermine the positive effect of the holidays. In reality, there is no gain in happiness after a vacation if there is moderate to high stress associated with organizing it. The organization of the holidays includes the management of transport, the development of a timetable for the holidays, the non-familiarity with the holiday resort and the absence of a feeling of security linked to the unknown.
Simply put, poorly planned and stressful vacations take away the benefits of time away from the daily routine . To take full advantage of your holidays, you must therefore eliminate as much as possible the sources of stress that could contaminate them, whether they are external (organization) or internal (too much apprehension)!
This will save you the last minute stress and you will enjoy the positive effects of anticipation!
The positive elements
This study also brings its share of good news. For example, 94% of people have as much or more energy after a well-planned trip than before leaving . With a stress-free vacation, 55% of people return to work with more energy than when they left.
When the holidays are relaxing, we can therefore increase our productivity . This translates specifically to the fact that the usual tasks at work require less effort .
All of this data shows us that a large part of the positive potential of the holidays is played out in the period immediately preceding the holidays. And here too, watch out for excess! If there are too many things to do the week before leaving, whether at work or at home, the level of happiness drops again before the start of the vacation .
A few tips for a positive anticipation of your holidays
For this specific aspect, as you will have understood, everything lies in the planning . So plan your vacation to benefit from the happiness of anticipation, to familiarize yourself with your destination and to save yourself unnecessary stress at the last minute. To take full advantage of this happiness in anticipation, here are some tips:
Leaving yes, but for how long?
Another burning question: is the potential happiness gain the same when you leave for 1 week or a month? The research here shows that holiday well-being peaks after 8 days . This is completely consistent with all studies on happiness, which show that well-being returns to a base level very quickly after a positive event . It is indeed more effective to do small positive activities regularly to increase your level of happiness .
What activities promote happiness on vacation?
And once there, what are the things to do to make sure you recharge your batteries? Activities that promote health and well-being during and after the holidays are simply those that provide pleasure , are relaxing and that we take the time to enjoy. Of course, the nature of these activities can vary greatly from person to person.
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