The Psychological Benefits of Taking a Vacation

There are definite psychological benefits to taking a vacation.

Yet, taking a vacation is something that many people debate about, even when they have the time and money to go.  If you need convincing that going on vacation can be beneficial, here are some of the psychological benefits of going on vacation.

The Psychological Benefits of Taking a Vacation

Psychological Benefits of Taking a Vacation:

Vacations can provide you with an opportunity to:

• Relax:  Even people who believe that they thrive on stress need down time every so often.  Taking a vacation gives you an opportunity to relax.  Getting away from your daily routines and worries, even for just a few days, helps to get some distance, not just physically but also psychologically, because you can leave your cares behind.

• Learn New Things:  When you're at home, you're in familiar surroundings, but when you go on vacation, especially if you travel outside the country, chances are, you'll be learning new things, whether it's a few words in a new language or how to negotiate prices at a bazaar.   This can be fun and exciting.

• Discover a New Perspective:  When you go to a new place, you're exposed to new cultures, different ideas, and ways of doing things.  Traveling gives you an opportunity to try new things--whether it's new foods, new customs or a different way of looking at life.  The contrast can also give you a different perspective about your own life (see my article:  Expanding Your Horizons While Traveling).

• Help You to Realize How Resourceful You Can Be:  When you're at home going through your normal routine, there are times when you can almost do it with your eyes closed.  But when you travel, opportunities present themselves that might challenge you to be more resourceful in how you navigate change or deal with a challenging situation.  People often discover that they're a lot more resourceful than they realized (see my article:  The Joy and Challenges of Traveling).

• Precipitate Change in Your Life:  A vacation to a place where you've never been can spark an idea that you'd like to make changes in your life, whether it's a geographical change or a psychological change.

• Reconnect With Your Inner World and Your Partner/Spouse:  A vacation can give you an opportunity to reconnect with your inner emotional world in ways that staying at home often doesn't.  You have the time and space to focus on yourself.  And if you travel with your partner or spouse, you also have an opportunity to reconnect and rekindle things between you (see my article:  Learning About Yourself While Traveling).

The Psychological Benefits of Taking a Vacation:  Rekindling Your Relationship

Even just a few days away can provide you with many of these psychological benefits, so if you have the time and money to travel, treat yourself to some time away.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist who works with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website:  Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Finding Inner Peace During Uncertain Times

In Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert 's op-ed piece in the New York Times called What You Don't Know Makes You Nervous he wrote that most people feel worse when they think that something bad might happen than when they know something bad will happen.

Finding Inner Peace During Uncertain Times

Initially, this concept might not  seem to make sense, and you might think, "But wouldn't you feel worse if you knew for sure that something bad was going to happen?" However, according to Dr. Gilbert, what the research shows is that when people know that something bad will happen, after their initial reactions of fear, shock, anger or whatever other feelings bad news brings up, most people can then mobilize themselves to take action to deal with the bad news, as opposed to just worrying about it.

For most of us, knowing what we're up against is better than the uncertainty of not knowing. According to Dr. Gilbert, "...we can't come to terms with circumstances whose terms we don't know. An uncertain future leaves us stranded in an unhappy present with nothing to do but wait" (see Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D.)

Taking action, whether it's changing our behavior, changing our attitudes, or making plans, helps us to feel better and find our emotional balance again.

How to Find Inner Peace During Uncertain Times:
Considering that many people today are living in uncertain times, how do we find and maintain inner peace and happiness to sustain us through the uncertainty?

To start, based on Dr. Gilbert's research findings, if it's possible to find out whether you'll be facing bad news, in most cases, it's better to get the information than to avoid dealing with it.

So, for instance, if you're worried about a health concern, rather than procrastinating and avoiding going to the doctor, it's better to be proactive, go to the doctor and either relieve yourself of the anxiety by finding out that you're fine or finding out what you need to do to get better.

Finding Inner Peace During Uncertain Times

I'm bringing up this particular example because many people avoid going to the doctor when they fear they're going to get bad news. But, in most cases, the earlier an illness is addressed, the more likely it is that you'll have a better outcome.

If there is no way to find out if you're going to be facing bad news (let's say, you fear that you might get laid off from your job, but no one knows for sure), then you need to find ways to maintain emotional and physical balance to sustain yourself through this uncertain time. If it's important to you, this also includes spiritual balance.

This could mean finding time during the day to meditate; exercise at the appropriate level for you, possibly taking a yoga class; and maintaining regular contact with supportive friends and family. Managing your stress is crucial. In particular, yoga can be a good stress reliever and restorer of balance and calm. It also means eating nutritious meals and getting enough rest.

When you feel anxious about what could happen, it also helps to remember times when you've actually dealt successfully with adversity in the past. Most of us are usually more resilient than we realize during hard times. If you think about it, you'll also probably realize that there were many times when you worried endlessly about something that never happened.

The Serenity Prayer
Knowing what we can control and what we can't can also help to relieve anxiety. You don't have to believe in God, a Higher Power or be a spiritual person at all to benefit from remembering the Serenity Prayer that says, in part:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference." When we can distinguish what we can and can't control, it helps us to either take action to make changes or to do what we can to relax and stay calm while events unfold.

Serenity Prayer

If you find that you're already doing all of the things that I've recommended in this post and you're still struggling with anxiety, you might benefit from seeing a licensed psychotherapist to help you get through times of uncertainty. Sometimes, even brief treatment to help you develop better coping skills can be very beneficial and can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and maintaining a sense of peace.

About Me
I'm a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist.  

I work with individual adults and couples.  

I have helped many clients to overcome anxiety and uncertainty so that they can lead happier lives.

To find out more about me, visit my web site: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.