On a recent trip to Portugal I visited the quaint beach town near Aviero, Costa De Nova. They have a unique architectural style, beautiful scenery, and great cafes & restaurants. This lovely experience of exploring a new town brought many deep thoughts to me. We seek rest on vacations with enjoyment of site seeing, eating, and learning the art of doing what seems like nothing. We in the USA focus so much on being productive and even view this as a sense of accomplishment. My experience shows that finding calm through a vacation is also productive. This action gives us a recharge. From our cars to our homes we know they require ongoing maintenance and care. So do we as human beings. Why is this often neglected?
Research points to a relationship between chronic stressors increasing cortisol with harmful physical health results. From a recently published article from the Mayo Clinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
The long-term activation of the stress-response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body’s processes. This puts you at increased risk of many health problems, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- Heart disease
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Memory and concentration impairment
That’s why it’s so important to learn healthy ways to cope with your life stressors.
Our body is signaling for us to rest when illness occurs. In many European countries the government will help finance time at spa resorts such as Carlsbad or Karlovy Vary near Prague. What is prescribed my medical doctors includes weeks of care with various treatments. There is value and a benefit from self care for the mind & body.
Simply think how you felt when you saw these photos. We need time to unwind. Our bodies are speaking to us. It’s time to listen.