It is hard not to notice, as an ex-pat, the sheer number of
Danish holidays that occur this time of year.
Some of my clients notice that I do not really observe them; They seem too indulgent somehow, so I go into
the office anyway. Recently I have had a couple of client
report having some inner conflict about the number of vacation days that they
get, or the fact that their doctor has advised them to take some time off. Being American, I can relate. Having worked over 40 hours per week, for my
entire post-graduate life, I can easily understand the conflict about so many
holidays. I remember last summer,
thinking that there was no way I could possibly survive the down time of
a two week (in a row!) vacation.
I have given it some thought, however. After all, I DID survive, and even thrived on
vacation. It was one of the most relaxing
times I have had in years. It led me to
do a little research on the effect of time-off on mental health. There are many articles out there, if you
care to take a gander.
One article I read published in the Journal of Happiness Studies by researchers Jessica de Bloom et al.
(2013) showed a very clear positive association between well-being and vacation
length. They found that well-being
actually peaked on the eighth day of vacation—an argument for vacations that
last over a week. Most of the good
effects were short-lived, for subjects, though some of them lingered into their
work lives.
My conclusion: When
in Denmark, do as the Danes do. After
all, it IS the happiest country in the world, so they must be doing something
right. If your doctor tells you to take
time off, follow her advice. Take a long
vacation. You’ve earned it.
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