Many couples don’t make the effort to spend quality time together and learn new skills as a couple often enough. One study conducted by the U.S. Travel Association found that American workers had 768 million unused vacation days in 2017.
Now with increasing frequency, when people do go on a couple’s retreat, they often bring work along with them. This keeps people essentially still in the work mindset they are trying to escape. This is unfortunate for several reasons.
Promote Creativity
A good retreat can help us to reconnect with ourselves, operating as a vehicle for self-discovery and helping us get back to feeling our best.
Stave off Burnout
Couples who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts.
Can Keep You Healthy
Taking regular time off to ‘recharge your batteries’, thereby keeping stress levels lower, can keep you healthier.
Promote Overall Wellbeing
One study found that three days after the retreat, subjects’ physical complaints, their quality of sleep, and mood had improved as compared to before the retreat. These gains were still present five weeks later, especially in those couples who had more personal and intimate time and overall satisfaction during their retreat.
Can Strengthen Bonds
Spending quality time enjoying life with your partner can keep relationships strong, helping you enjoy the good times more and helping you through the stress of the hard times. In fact, a study by the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services found that women who took vacations were more satisfied with their marriages.
Can Help With Your Job Performance
As the authors of the above study suggest, the psychological benefits that come with more frequent retreats lead to increased quality of life, and that can lead to increased quality of work on the job.
Retreats Relieve Stress in Lasting Ways
It should come as no surprise that retreats that include plenty of free time bring stress relief, but research shows that a couple’s retreat can lead to the experience of fewer stressful days at least five weeks later. That means that couples retreats are the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.
The bottom line is that taking a good amount of time away from the stresses of daily life can give us the break we need so that we can return to our lives refreshed and better equipped to handle whatever comes. While not everyone is able to take or go on a retreat, for those who can take several days or a few weeks off for a trip, even a short retreat can be restorative.
For those who don’t have the time or money to take a ‘formal’ retreat, you can look into cheap local retreats and creative ideas on how to get a nice break for less. And don’t forget the option of taking a weekend off to reconnect as a couple.