Three weeks ago I was excited to get out of the Minnesota cold and head for my first trip to Florida and its warmer weather.
My husband and I spent a wonderful week together in Florida meeting new people and seeing new sights and then we came home.
Over the years I read a lot about the benefits of taking a vacation. Most recently I read an article on About.com on stress management by Elizabeth Scott, M.S. The title of her article was “The Importance of Vacations, for Stress Relief, Productivity and Health.”
She sited seven benefits of vacations:
1. Vacations promote creativity
2. Vacations Stave Off Burnout
3. Vacations Can Keep You Healthy
4. Vacations Promote Overall Wellbeing
5. Vacations Can Strengthen Bonds
6. Vacations Can Help You With Job Performance
7. Vacations Relieve Stress in Lasting Ways
Elizabeth states “The bottom line is that taking a good amount of time away from the stresses of daily life can give us the break we need so that we can return to our lives refreshed and better equipped to handle whatever comes.”
Since returning home from vacation I have felt exhausted, uncreative, unproductive, stressed out, and generally apathetic about my job. I can’t help but think that I did my vacation wrong.
Flying Gma's Blog 
Thomas Stazyk
March 17, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Obviously the vacation wasn’t long enough 🙂
Seriously, it could also be that spring is overdue–rest up, have a quiet weekend and I hope that things come right!
flyinggma
March 17, 2011 at 11:45 pm
I agree that it wasn’t long enough but this is the first time I have come home and felt this way for so long.
Patti
March 17, 2011 at 11:05 pm
I think sometime the benefits from vacation come a good bit after you get home – I know what you mean. Sometimes it’s tiring to come home (especially for us because our big vacations are generally camping trips). But we’ve had years when we didn’t take a longish vacation and we really felt it somewhere late in the year. Somehow, it just takes the edge off of something.
flyinggma
March 17, 2011 at 11:47 pm
I agree it takes the edge off and maybe I’m just not giving it enough time or trying to do too much too soon.
nrhatch
March 17, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Are you enjoying your photography course? Maybe you just have too much on your plate at the moment.
And maybe you’re just ready for warm weather to reappear.
flyinggma
March 17, 2011 at 11:50 pm
I am enjoying my photography course. I do have a lot on my plate right now. Maybe I would have appreciated it if I would have been done with all the tax stuff done instead of coming home to it. I am truly ready for the warm weather to reappear and stay.
I’ve had to cancel flying twice already since I got home due to bad weather and twice due to maintenance and scheduling issues. Hopefully I will be up in the air again soon.
1959duke
March 18, 2011 at 4:04 am
Sometimes there is that down time when you get home. In the long run it does help.
flyinggma
March 18, 2011 at 7:11 am
I think you are right. I’m sure that as time goes on I will appreciate the fact that I had some time off.
Joe Clark
March 18, 2011 at 5:06 am
Aw, I think your body realized it should not be living in such cold climes… While your mind was ready to get back to business, your mucles and joints and bones were questioning, “Oh why?” My other theory is that you went back too early. Minnesota might have been warm enough to return to about… June? July? On the serious side, I think we are all working far too hard to make the national economic machine run.
flyinggma
March 18, 2011 at 7:19 am
I’ve known for a long time that the cold climes are not for me but what can you do when all your family is here but get away once in a while for some relief from the cold. I am pretty sure that my mind was not ready to get back to business. It hit me that I am 51 and if I work until the suggested age of 65 to collect social security, I still have another 14 years to go and I get exhausted thinking about that fact.
I don’t think that we can work our way out of economic mess, there aren’t enought hours in a day. There has to be some serious changes made to our taxing system and the spending binge the government has been on has to be curbed.
belleofthecarnival
March 18, 2011 at 11:42 am
I understand how you feel when your on vacation everything is new, great, and relaxing! However, when you come back to the snow, the cold, and the everyday tasks of life – everything just seems to be bit more boring…
flyinggma
March 18, 2011 at 12:25 pm
You’re correct the everydayness of life does seem a bit boring after coming home for sure. Time to get a better attitude and be thankful that I have a home to come home to. I can’t help but think of all those who are homeless in Japan and here I am whining about how I feel after a wonderful vacation.
writerwoman61
March 18, 2011 at 11:44 am
Maybe your vacation was a “wakeup call” that you’re not doing what you’re meant to be doing? Just my two cents worth…
Hugs,
Wendy
flyinggma
March 18, 2011 at 12:27 pm
I know that it is a “wakeup call” because my dream job would be to travel and photograph where I travel to but unfortunately I haven’t found a way to make a living at that yet so until then…..it’s work as usual.
Carol Ann Hoel
March 18, 2011 at 5:06 pm
I think if I had taken a vacation in sunny Florida after a winter like the country has faced this year, and had to come back to the spring season not yet bursting out with green grass and flowers, I’d be down, too. Maybe when the warm breezes are blowing, and the sun is shining brightly, your enthusiasm will return. Blessings to you, Jeanne…
flyinggma
March 18, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Sun is shining and already my attitude is improving.
Patricia
March 18, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Some say that all vacations should be 4 weeks long. 1 week to wind down and relax, 2 for the actual vacay, and 1 to gear up again. Sounds like a plan to me.
flyinggma
March 18, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Works for me…but I wonder how many people can actually be gone on vacation for 4 weeks at a time. Our small business would not survive being gone that much at one time.
Patricia
March 18, 2011 at 10:13 pm
I only know of one person that does this–twice a year! He is a semi-retired doctor.
Christopher
March 19, 2011 at 12:16 am
Have been ‘lurking’ on your site for a couple weeks. Your photography is great and I enjoy your writing. I’m sure your post-vacation blues will melt away soon with spring’s warmth, although that may take some time in Minnesota, ha-ha.
flyinggma
March 19, 2011 at 6:48 am
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m glad that you are enjoying the photography. I am having a great time with a new camera and a photoshop class.
We lost about half of our snow in the past two days. It looks like the ice will be off the lakes in the next week or two which always makes it feel a little warmer.
Todd Pack
March 19, 2011 at 9:56 am
Clearly, you did it wrong, so you should go back right away and try it again, and keep doing it until you get it right!
flyinggma
March 19, 2011 at 9:30 pm
I like your way of thinking Todd! I am definitely ready for a do over on vacation. I’m almost positive I could get it right this time around 🙂
Linda
March 19, 2011 at 11:57 pm
Yeah I think maybe you need to give it another try.
sunshineinlondon
March 20, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I think you need a bit more vacation. You get all the benefits if your vacation is long enough! Ah, I often want to hang on to that holiday feeling … it’s just magic, and really is rejuvenating. Hope you can find it and hang on to it!
Sunshine xx