"Vacation? Totally overrated!" | BRIGITTE.de

Hustle and bustle, heat, homesickness
"Vacation? Totally overrated!"

The family car, a spacious Volvo, is packed in the yard. Nothing fits in the trunk anymore. My husband has beads of sweat on his forehead from packing, the child is complaining and my mother wants to quickly pack a few towels just to be on the safe side. Annoyed, I get into the car, close my eyes and hope that we will soon be in France. During the journey, one thought keeps popping into my head: "I would have preferred to have attended further training!"

Holidays are pure stress!

What is the highlight of the year for my friends is pure stress for me. Weeks before the first day of vacation, this topic determines our entire planning and processes. The days immediately afterwards are also more stressful than normal everyday family life.

I haven't been on vacation for more than 20 years. There were years when I was away for less than a week.

For me, not going on vacation is not a sacrifice

How did that happen? Early twenties, full-time job, three times a week classes for the technical diploma, also on Saturdays, a civil partnership with a shared apartment – there wasn't much room to study. To graduate, I started investing part of my vacation.

I had even less time during the part-time studies that followed. With only six weeks without a lecture, which fell during the school holidays of all places, and holiday requests from employees with children who were preferred, I no longer had the opportunity to take holidays in one go. And occasional vacation days felt like wasted time. So I was looking for a way to make good use of my vacation. What was more obvious than continuing to qualify?

Learning fulfills me

I quickly felt: It's great to invest time in my further development. Learning fulfilled me and made me happy. At the same time, I noticed that there was a lot more that I wanted to learn – and kept looking for new training.

Of course, I've also regretted that I had planned my entire vacation for further training, for example when we spontaneously gave our mother a short trip to Mallorca. I would have liked to have had a few more days for that. But there are only a few moments that make me doubt.

Actually, I feel more sorry for my family and friends that I have so little fun on vacation. You really have to force me to take a few days off.

Life is too short for vacation!

Anyone who knows me better knows that I am always learning something new or studying. After completing my second degree, a friend asked me: "But that's enough, right?"

What should I answer to such a question? Will it be enough (for me) someday? Sometimes I feel like life is way too short for the possibilities it offers. I didn't tell her anything about my third degree. Not to mention the other qualifications I have completed in recent years.

My friends often don't understand why I keep striving for personal development. Many work in lucrative jobs and shimmy from vacation to vacation. Always with the feeling that you urgently need relaxation. I don't know that feeling.

I am satisfied with my life. I find relaxation in my job or in further training.

Now I've gotten used to justifying myself. I ignore heretical comments or just smile.

I find that vacation is grossly overrated

Just because it is socially recognized to take time out regularly doesn't mean that no other form of relaxation is possible for me.

Even my family doesn't always know exactly what training I'm doing. Here it is enough that I am mom, wife, daughter or sister. And that's good.

It is the first Friday after the vacation in France. My favorite red bag is already packed in my office. Today we go to a seminar in Koblenz. I look forward to a weekend with valuable impulses, interesting discussions with colleagues – and of course relaxation.