"Vacations are paid because they are work"

BarcelonaThe ancient Roman philosopher, writer, and politician Seneca was very clear about this: leisure time is not just a respite from obligations; it's an almost sacred space that serves to cultivate the soul and reason. He captured this in his work. From Otio, a philosophical treatise in which he argues that moments dedicated to leisure and contemplative life are the most valuable moments of our lives. A declaration of intent that placed free time on the same level of importance as time dedicated to work. Almost 2,000 years later, Seneca's reflections remain valid and should resonate with us more often, notes Marcel Cano, professor of philosophy at the University of Barcelona (UB), who recalls the Roman philosopher's words as "necessary" in a time of constant acceleration in our society. "Even leisure time has accelerated and has been invaded by the idea that it is necessary to fill all our time with activities," he warns. "Capitalism is not an economic system, it's a way of life, and it has convinced us that when we are doing nothing, not producing, we are wasting time," he points out. "Nowadays, work is the central part of human life, but this has also transferred to leisure time, to the point that our free time must be filled with activities, because otherwise, we experience it as a failure."

The hectic vacation

This reaches its peak during the summer holidays, the period during which most people have a few consecutive weeks off from work. "When the holidays arrive, we continue with the hyper-accelerated pace and tend to fill the days with activities because, otherwise, we feel like we're not making the most of our time," says Dolors Líria, psychologist, vice-dean of the Official College of Psychology of Catalonia and CEO of Menta Salut Professional. Who doesn't know someone—or perhaps ourselves—who, upon traveling to another country, returns home exhausted from all the things they've done and exclaims, "I need a vacation from vacations?" The supposed respite attributed to vacation periods has disappeared in these cases.

Líria believes that vacations are just the tip of the iceberg of a much deeper problem. "We're going at a very fast pace. We've learned that we must do, do, and do, never stop because we live in a hyper-productive society," she says. Along the same lines, Marcel Cano points out that "our current way of life is based on this: continuous acceleration. Work and life are accelerated."

This expert explains that it all began during the industrial revolution "or even before" when the idea was established that "when you're doing nothing, you waste time and money." Today we've taken this to the extreme. "We increasingly want to make the most of our time and we believe that means filling it with activities. Free time should be packed to the rafters; vacations have a frenetic pace, full of trips, visits... It's non-stop," he warns.

All of this has become a problem that already affects physical and mental health. "Problems of stress, anxiety, and the famous... are skyrocketing." burnout, also known as burnout syndrome," says Dolors Líria, who links these illnesses to "continuous productivity that creates great exhaustion and vital exhaustion." Paradoxically, "today we have all the means to live very well, but we don't use them, and that's why we should rationally rethink how we live, as leisure, time to do nothing... But, instead, we don't do it, we simply get by as best we can until the holidays, when we won't really stop either, and we continue with the accelerated pace without ever ceasing. This generates a lot of anxiety," warns Cano.

Benefits of stopping

Dolors Líria is clear that slowing down brings benefits to physical and mental health, and we can find that some problems such as insomnia or gastrointestinal discomfort diminish when we stop the hustle and bustle of daily life. "In addition, there is also an additional benefit that we can experience during the holidays, and it is the relational one, since we will be able to enjoy and connect more with friends and family in a more relaxed way. This will positively impact social relationships and even the return to routines and work obligations, perhaps allowing us to rethink the pace we maintain throughout the year." According to this expert, there is something very important that we should not forget: "You cannot be a good professional if you don't rest; vacations are paid precisely because they are work."