9 Reasons Getting Away for the Weekend Is Good for Your Mental Health

 CREDIT

A quick trip is less stressful than a long vacation and can boost your creativity.

Weekend trips can be better for your mood than long vacations.

If you'd like to take a vacation to get away from the stresses of work, the nation’s rancorous politics or just to catch up on your sleep but aren't prepared to take a substantial amount of time off, you should still consider a brief getaway, experts say. A weekend trip can boost your mental and emotional health, says Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist in New York City and author of "Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days." In fact, short getaways, such as a trip to the beach or to the mountains over a long weekend, are in many ways preferable to longer vacations, he says. "From an emotional and well-being perspective, smaller vacations pack a bigger punch than longer ones," he says. "A small amount of planning and time away can reap large rewards."

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Ruben Castaneda CREDIT Many people plan weekend getaways for a wide array of reasons. The percentage of U.S. residents planning a weekend escape in 2018 is higher than it was in 2017, according to a nationwide survey by Enterprise Rent-A-Car of 1,015 people ages 25 and older. The survey was conducted in November 2017. Overall, 85 percent of survey respondents said they plan to escape on a weekend trip in 2018, up from 78 percent in 2017. Here are the top things survey respondents said they wanted to escape: stress, 43 percent; the news, 39 percent; the current political climate, 38 percent; and social media, 24 percent. Whatever is causing you anxiety, a weekend getaway could help tamp down your stress levels, experts say. Here are nine reasons weekend escapes can improve your mental and emotional health:, Staff Writer

Ruben Castaneda is a Health & Wellness reporter at U.S. News. He previously covered the crime b... READ MORE  »

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