By Daniel Dessinger
July 21, 2008
It’s summer time and with this hot and sweaty season, most people go on some type of vacation and I’m proud to say I am one of those “most people.” I am heading to Destin, Florida in a week with my family and my boyfriend and I must say I’ve never been so ready for relaxation in my life!
This year has been a crazy and busy year. I just started a new job, I’m busy with my blog, my podcast and writing on Culture Feast, and I’m ready to just sit on the beach and stare at the ocean. What is it about life that gets us so stressed out that sometimes we get even stressed about taking a vacation?
I have 5 days to pack and get ready for the long two day drive to Destin. I know I’m going to have fun and I hope I can relax a lot. But I’m stressed out! I still have to work (my 2nd week at my new job) this upcoming week and I still have several projects due with my blog writing. I’m also a bit stressed that I have and take enough money to enjoy me 7 days in paradise.
This post isn’t to brag or to make anyone envious. On the contrary, I want to know if there are other people out there who stress out about vacation? Shouldn’t going on a vacation make you feel peaceful and relaxed? And nine times out of ten, do you ever feel like you need a vacation after your vacation? I sure do.
According to recent research, 43% of Americans suffer from major stress in their daily lives. Three out of five doctors visits are stress related. Finally, stress is linked to five deadly “diseases” that plague our society today: cancer, heart disease, lung ailments, liver damage and suicide.
I read these statistics and it hit me hard. It’s not necessarily my eating that I need to watch or the chemicals I consume on a daily basis. Yes, both of these are very important in maintaining your health. However, I never really think how stress really harms my body. So, I decided to write this to get you thinking. What are you doing to reduce stress in your life? Maybe, just maybe, you need a little vacation.
© 2008 – 2010, Daniel Dessinger. All rights reserved.
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I didn’t realize just how much stress I was under until I took a vacation (Florida for a few days with my dad, then a week in San Francisco). Among other things, coming back from vacation has helped me realize the sources of my stress and get them under control, as well as made me re-focus on the things that are important to me: the things I do for fun, my relationships with my friends (and the budding romantic relationship), and my desire to move away from Texas once and for all next year. Vacations are definitely more than just time away from the everyday.
I just took a four day weekend, and I realized that really I need more time away from my full time job. I’m already in the early (ok maybe mid) stages of burn out! I need at least a week away to completely detox and recover!
Isn’t it hard to write a column for a blog right before vacation? (See: I’m Austin Bound by Lisa Pawlowski June 2008). I admit, it wasn’t one of my better posts. Have fun, make time to relax. BTW, what’s the new job?
that looks very stressful…