Hey, America: Take A Break, Already!
THERE ARE MANY EUROPEAN THINGS I can get behind: cheese and bread for seemingly every meal; a very liberal view on sex; the Alps; the French Riviera. But perhaps Europe’s most redeeming quality is their almost universal acceptance of long vacations. Yass, queen.
Kelsey Lindsey
According to the Center for Economic Policy and Research, the United States is the only wealthy nation that doesn’t have legally mandated vacations for employees. Another fact that might make you weep into your American-flag bandana: The US doesn’t require employers to pay during official national holidays. What good is overeating hotdogs on Memorial Day or getting eggnog-wasted on Christmas if I’m not getting paid for it?
Compare this to our friends across the Atlantic. In 2013, Austrians were guaranteed 22 paid- time-off vacation days and 13 holidays. Greeks? Four weeks off and six paid holidays. And the French: 30 days of vacation and one holiday. It’s bad enough they get to eat cheese, carbs, and fatty meats without ever seeming to gain weight. Now they can come over here and rub it in our American faces … all while getting paid. Merde!
Some Americans lucky enough to even get paid vacation days don’t use them! According to a survey from the US Travel Association, four out of 10 Americans did not plan to use all their paid time off in 2014! (Can it be transferred? Like, to me?)
Before I venture off into becoming a sniffling ingrate, let me present you with the health benefits of taking a few (or you know, a lot of) days off from your busy and stressful work life.
A study published in 1992 found that women who took a vacation once every six years, or even less, were eight times more likely to have a heart attack or develop heart disease, when compared to women who took at least two vacations a year. The co-author of the study told the New York Times that the increased risk of disease mainly had to do with the toiling effect long-term stress has on the body.
Another study looked at the benefit of vacation on the quality of sleep before and after trips. After two or three days on vacation, people surveyed averaged an hour more of good, quality sleep — and most continued that when they got home.
The caveat to these health benefits? They require you to completely unplug from the office. Once you start looking at your phone, even if you’re relaxing on the beach, you increase the chance of burning out and receiving any truly beneficial side effects.
So go ahead and take those vacation days and unplug for a week or two. Your heart and body will thank you.
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