A long-awaited vacation, when all of a sudden – a runny nose, fever, sore throat … and so every time! Researchers have found several explanations for the “vacationer syndrome” phenomenon.
Went to the sea, and instead spent a week in a room? Gave yourself a long weekend, but recovered only on the day of departure? This situation is familiar to many: in 2013, one in ten Europeans fell ill during the summer holidays.
It is curious that the researchers of the “disease of vacationers” see the reason not in acclimatization. Dutch psychologist and stress and emotion researcher Ed Wingerhuts interviewed people who often get sick on vacation and compared their responses to those of a control group. As a result, he came to the conclusion that it was all about work.
1. Guilt
Those who often get sick on vacation complained not only about the heavy workload at work, but also about the endless stress. In their free time, they preferred passive rest and coped worse with overwork.
Scientists describe this type as perfectionists who have an excessive sense of responsibility for their work. “Vacations can be associated with guilt for them, which prevents them from properly enjoying their vacation,” explains Ed Wingerhuts.
2. A DIFFERENT VIEW ON YOUR OWN FEELINGS
It is only when we relax in a deck chair in the sun that we notice for the first time that “everything hurts.” By working and doing business, we more easily suppress ailments. However, this applies only to minor ailments, and not to serious illnesses.
3. The immune system fails
Both acute and chronic stress affect the immune system. Researcher Ronald Glaser of Ohio University (USA) concluded that stress affects the immune system in different ways: it makes some susceptible to infections, inflammation and autoimmune diseases (allergies), while others slow down immune responses, for example, ordinary scratches heal noticeably longer.
It turns out that nothing can be changed and all that remains is to get sick? To cope with the “syndrome of vacationers”, you need to reconsider your attitude to work and life. This is exactly what Ed Wingerhuts believes, having studied the habits of people who managed to defeat endless illnesses on vacation. When asked how they did it, some answered that they had changed jobs. Others said that they changed their attitude towards it – work ceased to occupy the main place in their lives.