When was your last vacation? If you must take a moment to remember this, you are not alone. At a time when we are more and more easily reachable, picking up is not easy. As a result, fewer and fewer people are taking actual vacations. In the United States alone, 4 in 10 Americans say they do not take all the vacation days they are entitled to. Here in Quebec, according to a survey carried out by the Order of approved human resources advisers, the average leave is 2.3 weeks which is not much if we compare to France where workers have at least the equivalent of five vacation weeks per year. Also according to the same survey, only 28% of all Quebec workers take 2-week summer vacation. Another notable result, more than one in ten Quebecers does not plan any time for rest during the summer, while others break up their weeks into different periods of varying length that they take not when they feel the need, but well when downtime occurs in the company for which they work. Yet vacations are a necessity and the vast majority of businesses insist that you take it. Do you need a reason to convince yourself? Here are 5!

1. Reduce stress

This is the primary advantage. Just not getting to work Monday morning is relaxing in itself. However, this is nothing compared to leaving everything behind for a week or two, or even longer if you have the chance.

2. Improve your health

Stress has been shown time and again to be directly linked to many health problems such as headaches, cardiovascular disease and other infections acquired as a result of a weakened immune system. It also stands to reason that taking vacations reduces the risk of burnout.

3. Boost your productivity

A healthy mind in a healthy body, the adage is known. However, while many people have made exercise part of their weekly routine, far fewer people allow their minds to completely unwind. Taking a vacation allows you to relax and be more productive when you return to work.

4. Stimulate your creativity

Psychologically speaking, new stimuli, whether it is new places you visit, new flavors and smells you discover there, or new people you meet there, act as a catalyst on your mind and cause increase your creativity.

5. Strengthen family ties

Family relationships are often the first to suffer from overwork. Taking a break and taking a family vacation creates lasting memories with loved ones ... because after all, if you work so hard, it's a lot to them.

In the end, although you dreaded the pile of work that awaits you when you get back, remember that this is something that is usually resolved in 48 hours since anything that cannot exceed this deadline will necessarily have been resolved by one of your colleagues or superiors.

Here's something to ponder while you book your next vacation ...