According to a study, about five million Dutch people will skip the holidays this summer because of the Corona crisis. Bad idea: Holidays are good for health. It reduces stress and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to the study of the TNS NIPO The Dutch have 40 percent fewer holiday plans this year than this time last year. Because of the coronavirus, many people have decided to skip the summer holidays.
Is that a good idea? Professor Timo Strandberg of the University of Helsinki does not believe this. Long term Finnish research In which he is involved as a researcher, it is shown that regular holidays significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Holidays reduce stress. That’s the goal of the holiday: to relax and charge physically and psychologically.”
Timo Strandberg, Professor of the University of Helsinki
More positive impact on (physical) activities
Working hard and just relaxing on weekends is not enough to charge, says the professor. And a healthy lifestyle does not outweigh the hard work and never takes a break. “Holidays reduce stress. That’s the goal of the holiday: to relax and charge physically and psychologically.”
According to Strandberg, a holiday doesn’t have to take long to affect your health. A midweek or a long weekend, three to five days, is already having a positive effect. Except that the effect often doesn’t last long when the holiday is over. According to him, the effect can be extended by certain activities during the holidays, such as physical activity or relaxing activities, such as yoga.
Staycation also healthy
Also from a Finnish-Dutch study A few years ago it became clear that holidays are beneficial for health because we can relax from it. This study has also shown that it doesn’t matter if we go on holiday at home or on vacation. Provided you can really distance yourself from your work and other concerns at home, such as the household.
“A midweek or a long weekend, three to five days, is already having a positive effect. But this effect often doesn’t last long when the holiday is over.”
According to the TNS NIPO study, some Of the Dutch who skip the holiday this summer plan to take it this year. Procrastination is better than adaptation, says Professor Strandberg. Nevertheless, in his view, it does not hurt to take a break now. There is no research yet, but he suspects that many people are more stressed by the Corona crisis.
A few times briefly better than long
Another argument for a short holiday holiday this summer: Finnish research shows that a shorter holiday has more health effects a few times a year than a long one. According to Strandberg, this differs from person to person. It also depends on the type of function.
Strandberg: “In many functions, the work stays during the holidays and accumulates, which is not conducive to the stress level after the holidays. Personally, I’m taking a long summer vacation and still answering emails so they don’t stay.’