If you have ever thought you have vacation brain, you weren’t imagining it. Leisure time helps clear your mind.
“As a species, we struggle with monotony,” said psychologist Susan Albers. “When we do the same thing over and over again, it can make life feel tedious. When we get stuck in a rut like that, it reduces our cognitive performance, focus and ability to be fully present in the moment. Taking time off is one of the best ways to become more creative, make better decisions and increase your focus.”
That’s why, according to her, vacations are an essential part of healthcare, not an optional luxury. They don’t have to be fancy or long; it can be as little as a day off, but we need breaks from our routines to clear our brains and reset us to a healthy normal. It doesn’t matter if you are traveling, going for a walk, reading or spending time with loved ones.
“When we step away from our routine, our brains reset,” said Dr. Albers. “Any time we experience a new activity, new neural connections form in the brain. Those new pathways help you see things from different perspectives and improve your problem-solving skills. It also decreases some of those stress hormones, which improves your mood.”
We all just had a three-day weekend, but the restful feeling may already be gone. It all depends on how you went into the rest of your week. “If you race right back into work, childcare or the stresses of daily life, the benefits can fade pretty quickly. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that you changed your cognition, your dopamine levels and your neurotransmitters for a while. Those are significant changes,” said Dr. Albers.
If you need to regain that vacation feeling, there is a lot you can do in your everyday life to keep yourself in a vacation brain mode. Changing even small things in your routine can help break up the monotony of your day. Taking a different route home, making a recipe you haven’t made in a while or shopping at a different grocery store than your normal one are all small ways to massively change your routine. You can also practice mindfulness to disconnect from stress and be more in the moment.
Another difference between vacation and everyday life is the way we move. On vacation, we often encounter exercise in the form of strolls, light swims and fun bike rides. In our daily lives, we often exercise more purposefully, and it’s less enjoyable and more about staying healthy. If you are missing the gentle exercise that often comes with vacations, just four minutes of gentle exercise boosts memory. It can even grow the hippocampus, which aids memory and learning and the frontal cortex that controls planning and judgment.
You should also disconnect daily. Not only is it important to cut yourself off from work emails and other responsibilities that cause stress. It is also essential to allow yourself some boredom in the day. Allowing your mind to wander, without filling the space with noise or a screen, increases your creativity and aids your performance in the long term.
Even though it’s only Friday, the long weekend may feel like it was a year ago. However, by implementing these small changes, you can have small breaks frequently and retain a vacation brain all year round!
