New survey says 50% of Americans can't 'relax' on vacation. A psychologist explains why

Going on a long-awaited vacation does not always guarantee relaxation. A survey done by Talker Research revealed that the majority of Americans on holiday do not know how to relax. Results, published on March 30, show that a certain number of people even feel guilty for not doing anything. It seems like people are unable to relax even when they are supposed to.

Ph.D. psychologist and author Guy Winch (@GuyWinch) joined New York Times bestselling author and athlete Lewis Howes (@lewishowes) on 'The School of Greatness' to discuss how people are relaxing the wrong way. According to Winch, people think relaxing means lying down on the couch, binge-watching a show, or doom-scrolling until they go to sleep. He says such activities would not make them feel better, instead making them feel more worn out upon waking up.

The Talker Research surveyed the Margaritaville Vacation Club by taking 2000 adults who traveled the year before. The results showed that 56% of people found it difficult to do nothing even while they were on vacation. At least 48% of Americans felt "guilty" if they did nothing on vacation. Jonathan Topolsky, the senior vice president at the club, said, "People spend so much of their lives feeling busy that it can actually be difficult to switch off." However, just 15% of the people vacationing "always" find a balance between staying busy and relaxing while on holiday.

Winch believes that the formula for unwinding and feeling energized is 50% relaxing and 50% recharging. Doing nothing as a way of relaxing would not help because people are mentally exhausted. Very few people have jobs that tire them physically. The majority of people work on a screen all day, and coming home to stare at another screen in the name of relaxation would not help. 

"Our brain confuses physical and mental exhaustion. It doesn't distinguish well," Winch explains that being active would actually help more than lazing around. It may sound contradictory, but engaging in something you are passionate about will help "recharge" your battery more than just doing nothing.

Since Howes is an athlete, Winch uses him as an example. He says that after a long day of work without working out, Howes would actually feel more energized if he did something active, like handball practice. Even though he will be expending more energy, he will feel more relaxed after doing something he enjoys. The same goes for a creative person.

Winch suggests that they should engage themselves in painting or organizing, and an extrovert can go out and socialize. He assures that they will come home recharged and sleep better.

A balance is required to function effectively as a human being. Just like Winch suggests, the trick is to relax half of the time and for the other half, engage in some activity to recharge one's energy.

You can follow Lewis Howes (@lewishowes) on YouTube to watch more interviews and Guy Winch (@GuyWinch) for more psychology-related content

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