2023-07-28 09:41:30
Leave your work phone at home, listen to music, make a “transition” to the holidays… These are some of the tips that the neuroscientist Ana Ibáñez offers us to disconnect on vacation
The neuroscientist, chemical engineer, helicopter pilot, former high performance swimmer and writer Ana Ibáñez, in an interview with EFEsalud, talks about disconnecting on vacation.
Following his book “Amazes your Mind: Train your brain and discover the power to transform your life“, the scientist has offered various tips to be able to “leave work behind” and rest those days enjoying them to the full. Because, as the writer explains, Yeah It is possible to disconnect on vacation.
Neuroscientist Ana Ibáñez
stress and anxiety
One of the main reasons why we can’t relax and unwind on vacation are the stress and anxiety.
As the expert explains in her book, although sometimes we mistakenly use them as synonyms, they are not the same.
Stress, on the one hand, is defined by Dr. Ibáñez as “that uncomfortable sensation” that leads our body to function in an unusual way, with more demanding. This implies a acceleration of the system and an increase in heart rate and cortisol. All this happens when we meet in situations that upset us: an important exam, a discussion with the children, having to speak in public…
However, on the other hand we find anxiety. The professional affirms that it could be a feeling of stress that lasts over time and finish nesting in us.
“Anxiety is a mental product. Despite there being no stressor element, you can be sitting at home calmly, anxiety attacks you and, suddenly, symptoms of anxiety come over you, such as a racing heart, shortness of breath… But there is no longer a stressor element”, indicates Ana Ibáñez.
Anxiety and stress are not the same EFE/Sáshenka Gutiérrez.
the era of smartphone
Another of the complications when disconnecting on vacation is the constant presence of the mobile phone in our lives.
He smartphone its an instrument almost essential for work especially after the pandemic. Therefore, Our brain can have a hard time differentiating when we are working hours and when we are trying to disconnect.
When we are not on vacation, we must be careful and design a routine to look at the work mobile phone One option is to only look at it during working hours, since it is part of our tasks, even if it does not cost us too much effort to respond to a message.
The neuroscientist recommends leaving your work phone at home when you go on vacation: “If we take the phone on vacation, even if you say you’re not going to look at it, you always end up looking at it a bit,” says Ana Ibáñez.
EFE/Morell
The immense importance of routines
The expert Ana Ibanez explains the great importance of routine in our life.
Our brain gets used to the routines that we impose on it on a daily basis.. Therefore, when we go on vacation and want to disconnect, we have to be careful to make it work and not suddenly wipe out regular schedules.
In this way, the professional recommends us to maintain some habits as a “routine” on vacation: exercise at the same time in the morning, walk every day on the beach, read the newspaper after breakfast…
“You can be very stressed and the next day you go on vacation, forget about work and be surprised that your system, instead of relaxing, just the opposite: it continues with anxiety. And why does that happen? Well, because our brain is used to doing things in a certain way. He is used to stress and cannot go from being stressed to not being stressed very quickly,” says the writer.
Start with a transition
Ana Ibáñez recommends make a transition from our usual routine to the one we will have on vacation. Thus, our mind will get used to it a bit and it will be easier for us to disconnect when the holidays arrive.
To do this, he offers us some tips that we can apply the days before the holidays:
Music: The expert points out that it can be beneficial to put on music the days before the holidays. This will help us prepare our minds for the rest of the following days.
Silence notifications: Ana Ibáñez recommends leaving your work phone at home when you go on vacation. If it’s not possible, we can at least turn off notifications and set a specific time to use it.
View holidays: The professional indicates that thinking about vacations before going on a trip can help us relax more quickly when we arrive at our destination. Listening to music can help us start to disconnect on vacation. EFE/Marina Valero
#Disconnect #vacation