Reasons why you should go on a “Mental Vacation”

After a heavy dose of office work, socializing and technology, who wouldn't love a relaxing vacation on a beach or a peaceful hill station?
Most people are left feeling exhausted after a long week of work - which includes traveling, meetings, presentations, mails, etc. Whether it's constant connectivity to social media, your BlackBerry, or never-ending computing, it's time you keep these things aside and took a “mental vacation” for a day. And what's more? You need not pack your bags and head to the hills for this. You can go on this mental vacation from right where you are - in your own city, even in your home.

Now what is the real need for going on a mental vacation? Our obsession with many things might give us some short-lived pleasure but it only adds to the stress in the long run. In the present times, stress can be a byproduct of almost everything we do - office life, personal life, financial crisis, marital problems, poor health, long hours of work, exam pressure, and a lot more thing. We often turn ton gadgets to stay away from things which cause stress. No doubt, gadgets give provide some entertainment but in many cases they might just be diverting our attention from the real problem. The result is that we get addicted to them and the regular stress anyway remains. Preoccupation or obsession with gadgets limits communication, social interactions and offers strained relationships.
Some people turn to alcohol to escape the troubles in life. Again, it might make them feel better for a short period of time but is bound to complicate family matters, social life and ruin the health if consumed heavily day after day.

It is only prudent to turn to gadgets for increasing efficiency. Being dependent on them all the time makes you closeted and cuts you off from the real world outside. Gadgets, drugs and parties can only offer some instant fun and temporary relief from stress. As soon as the fun ends, you'll be transported back to the real world where stress would be waiting to catch hold of you, not to mention that you'll be hampering your health as well. Now as the stress gets the better of you yet again, you will be again led to the same old gadgets, alcohol and even drugs. Before this becomes a vicious circle, it's important that you break free.

Having discussed what causes stress, let us explain what exactly we mean by a mental vacation. A mental vacation essentially means spending time without all the usual distractions, usual daily business, and connecting to your thoughts and feelings. No iPad, no office, no checking mails, nothing - just for a day, take out time for yourself. This would require a lot of will and effort from your side as you have to consciously disassociate yourself with all possible distractions. In turn, this provides the much-needed strength and vitality to your inner self.

If you want you can spend the day in a park or a zoo, but you can also go on this vacation while just being in your home. Of course, you would need to talk to your family members about this in advance so that they don't create unwanted distractions. While you have to keep yourself away from unnecessary distractions, if you want you can indulge in creative activities such as writing, dancing, music, drama and sports to deal with the stress rather than relying on passive means.

You'll soon find that solitude isn't that bad.