Meetings. Emails. Texts. Phone calls. Bids. On-site job visits. Designing. Drafts. Construction. Being an architect or engineer is full of demands from your business and clients. And that’s just work. Add in your personal schedule and responsibilities and it’s easy to see how stressed and overwhelmed you can feel. Even though a million excuses exist for not taking time away, it’s crucial for your well-being and overall health. Here are some ways vacations benefit your health and daily life:
- Reduced stress and depression. Vacation is essential to reset and remind yourself that there’s more to life than work. Disconnecting from the day-to-day schedule and demands will allow for more time to breathe and experience new surroundings. The University of Calgary completed a study with lawyers in high-stress firms. The results found that those who took vacation and leisure time were less likely to suffer from depression. Make sure your vacation is well planned out, so stress doesn’t come along for the ride.
- Improved productivity. We all try to save time by multi-tasking to get things done quicker, which in turn, may affect our performance. A study by the Boston Consulting Group found that professionals who were required to take time off were significantly more productive overall than those who spent more time working.
- Increased creativity. A change of scenery may help inspire new ideas and unleash your creativity. And if you travel internationally, all the better. Researchers at Northwestern University have linked multicultural learning experiences with creativity.
- Improved heart health. Many studies exist that support taking a vacation can lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart attack risk.
Use your allotted vacation time and treat yourself to some time away. Your mind and body will thank you.
