Why I'm Vowing To Use All Of My Vacation Days This Year

I have a confession to make: I am the opposite of "wanderlust." Not in the sense that I refuse to go out on a Friday night or grab dinner after work, but that I only do those things. I rarely venture beyond the city where I live. I stick to my turf. I like my routine. While I want to get out of town and explore a place unknown, I feel like I'm throwing all my responsibilities to the wind when I'm away. To compensate, I work remotely when I leave the city to visit family. I arrange most of my pleasurable trips on the weekends. I even figure out ways to make up time missed for doctors' appointments. The worst part isn't that I do these things -- it's that I'm the only person pressuring myself to remain on when I'm technically off. I left about four vacation days unused last year because I put my work first (and, let's be honest, when I was technically on vacation, I was checking my email from time to time). I'm not alone: Employees let approximately 4.9 vacation days go unused, and 42 percent of Americans didn't use any of their vacation days in 2014. That's a problem. Burnout is a very real issue in the United States. According to a 2013 study, eight in 10 Americans are overwhelmed at work. Spending too much time plugged into our inbox and on the job can lead to severe stress, which can have serious health consequences, including an increased risk for stroke or heart disease. But there's a simple stress antidote we're not tapping in...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news