“The breaks you take from work pay you back manifold when you return because you come back with a fresher mind and newer thinking.” ~Gautam Singhania

Everybody loves the idea of vacations, taking a break from the taxing routines of our busy lives, unhooking from deadlines and due dates, the lure of leisure time whispering promises of unbroken stretches of time for rest and relaxation.

But don’t forget to pack your Smart phone, and iPad or laptop, book reading device and other “necessary” electronics. Heavens! Must stay connected while disconnecting!

Research is now showing the negative effects of too much screen time. Unplugging from the steady stream of electronic information upon which we now depend, and with which we have grown uncomfortably comfortable (some might say ‘addicted’), is also beneficial to our health, both emotionally and intellectually as well as physically.

Increasingly, people are choosing to take a “vacation” from their electronic gadgets. I’ve heard several friends say that one day per week—usually a Sunday—they try to stay away from them, and are finding it tremendously freeing as well as refreshing.

Checking your email one last time before heading to bed, or your Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, or Facetime feed, undermines your brain’s ability to transition into restorative sleep.

Doing it while on vacation undermines the idea of “vacation.”

The breaks you take from electronic stimulation are equally as important as those you take from anything else.

Really, the world will not stop spinning if you don’t check Facebook.

Recovery time: it’s important.

And you deserve it.