Happy Labor Day, my friends!
I hope you’re all getting some well-deserved time off, but one day isn’t enough, that’s for sure.
Did you take a vacation over the summer, or do you have one planned for this fall or winter? I ask because time away is critical to our well-being, but most Americans don’t get enough.
Americans Don’t Take Enough Vacation
A U.S. Travel Association study, for example, found that workers, on average, fail to use nearly five vacation days a year. Project Time Off, a leading national movement to change American attitudes and behavior about time off, states that over the past 15 years, Americans have been taking less and less vacation.
Key findings of an online survey of over 5,600 American workers reported vacation usage fell from 20.3 days each year to 16 days between 1978 and 2000-nearly a full week.
More than half of the American workers surveyed said they left vacation days unused in 2015, many for fear of returning to mountains of work, or of not being able to find anyone to adequately cover their tasks.
Others wanted to show their dedication to their jobs, or felt like they lacked support from their bosses and colleagues to actually take vacations. Nearly two-thirds of Americans felt they either heard nothing or mixed messages from management about taking time off, leaving them uncertain about what it may do to their job security.
Whatever the reasons for staying at work, one thing is certain: it’s bad for us. Studies have shown that it makes us less productive, less likely to get raises, and less likely to be promoted. But more importantly, it makes us more stressed, unhappier, and more at risk for serious health problems.
To encourage you to make your vacation days a priority, I’ve done some research on what workaholism and lack of downtime can do to your physical and mental well-being.
If you still feel you just can’t get away, I’ve got a few tips to help you do just that, as well. What say you start planning today?
5 Ways Workaholism Destroys Your Health and Well Being
Scientists have discovered that all work and no play doesn’t only make Jack (or Jill) a dull person, but may also land him or her in the hospital a lot sooner than expected.
1. Increases Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
A 2015 analysis of 17 studies on stroke and 25 studies on heart disease involving over 600,000 people reported that compared with people who worked between 35 and 40 hours a week, those working 55 hours or more had a 33 percent higher risk of stroke. Those working 49–54 hours had a 27 percent higher risk, and even those working 41–48 hours had a 10 percent higher risk.
Working more than 55 hours a week was also linked with a 13 percent increased risk of a new diagnosis, hospitalization, or death from heart disease.
Other studies indicate that working too many hours can increase your risk of heart disease. In one 2011 study of over 7,000 people, those who worked 11 hours or more a day had a 67 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who worked standard 8-hour days.
2. Negatively Impacts Our Relationships
When we work too much, our relationships tend to suffer. In a 2010 study of 326 people, researchers found that spouses of workaholics reported greater marital estrangement and less positive feelings toward their significant others than spouses of nonworkaholics.
The kids suffer, too. In a 2007 study, researchers found that adult children of workaholics were more likely to be depressed and/or anxious than children of nonworkaholics.
Even co-workers feel the effects. A 2001 study found that workaholics tend to stress their co-workers out, and suffer poor personal interactions with their colleagues as a result.
When we focus mostly on work, we fail to make those important connections with those around us, which in the end, isn’t only bad for them, but for us as well, since social connections are so important to long-term well-being.
3. Increases Risk of Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and OCD
A recent 2016 study found that workaholism is often closely associated with psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety. Researchers examined data from over 16,000 participants, and found that workaholics scored higher on psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics. About 33.8 percent suffered from anxiety, 8.9 percent from depression, 32.7 percent from ADHD, and 25.6 percent from OCD.
An earlier 2012 study of over 2,100 workers found that those who put in an average of 11 hours a day had roughly two and a half times higher odds of developing depression than their colleagues who worked 7-8 hours a day. Researchers speculated that the long hours affected family relationships, elevated stress, and contributed to sleep deprivation.
4. Stresses Us Out
We need vacations to relax and shed all the stress that work can cause. According to the American Institute of Stress, job stress is the major source of stress for most Americans, and it has been escalating over the past few decades. In one of their recent surveys, they found that 80 percent of workers feel stressed on the job.
A 2009 study also reported that workaholism contributed to burnout and decreased well-being. Meanwhile, other studies have suggested that time off reduces stress.
A 2006 comparison of chronic illnesses among people 55 and over in the U.S. and the U.K. found that residents of the U.K. are only about half as likely as their peers in the U.S. to have chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. The prime reasons seemed to e their longer vacations and shorter working hours-which results in less stress than Americans experience.
5. Increases Risk of Death
It seems we can actually work ourselves to an early death.
A 2013 study, for example, of over 414,000 people aged 20-64 years, found that working more than 55 hours a week resulted in an increased risk of all-cause mortality compared with working 35-40 hours a week.
A more recent 2016 study found that women who work more 60 hours or more a week for over three decades had triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The risk started to climb after 40 hours, and turned serious after 50 hours.
In a 2004 report on overtime and extended work shifts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that overtime was associated with not only poorer general health, but more illnesses and increased mortality.
How to Get the Time Off You Deserve
Maybe you’re convinced that it’s time to cut back on work and get some more time off, but you’re not sure how to make it happen.
Here are some tips to increase the odds of actually taking a real vacation this year:
- Plan it ahead of time. Studies show that those who planned their vacations-marking the days off on the calendar, for example, and planning what they would do-were much more likely to actually take their vacations than those who just winged it. They were also more likely to leave for longer periods of time-a full week or more-which has been associated with greater health benefits.
- Don’t wait for the perfect time. Most jobs today are constantly busy-there is no “good” time to leave. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. Decide you’ll use your vacation time, and focus on what you will do, rather than whether you’ll go.
- Be assertive. If your boss balks at the idea, remind him that your time off is part of your benefits package, and you’d like to use it. Talk about how you’re likely to perform better long-term if you actually use your vacation time, and ask how you can arrange things so you can leave.
- Tell yourself you’re doing it for you, your family, and your employer. You will be a better employee, a better person for your friends and loved ones, and in better health mentally and physically if you take your time off. Remember that. You’re not shortchanging the people around you-you’re doing what’s best for everyone. Realize that if you don’t take that time you’re given, you’re essentially taking a pay cut.
- Set up a vacation fund. Many people feel they can’t afford a vacation. If you feel this way, set up a vacation savings account and contribute regularly throughout the year. Remember that your vacation doesn’t need to be exotic to be restorative. Often an economical trip close to home can be just as fun as going long distance, and you may discover things about your home state you never knew before.
- Get over vacation guilt. Many of us feel guilty about getting away. Remind yourself that vacations are good for you, and that you’ll return refreshed and energized and better able to do your job.
Have you taken your vacation yet this year?
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