We tend to forget ourselves in the hustle and bustle of our daily life duties, completely neglecting the fact that we are humans who every now & then NEED a vacation to; be capable of coping with life needs, stress, & responsibilities, come back rejuvenated, refreshed, looking forward to achieving goals, and getting over obstacles, and challenges. And the more we postpone those breaks, the more we are subject to strokes, nervous breakdowns, and stress levels considerably increase.

That’s why breaking the routine, unplugging, and disconnecting from whatever we are familiar with by traveling somewhere we have never been before is a must, but sometimes we are too drained to realize when vacation time is calling, that’s why we have put together a list of signs -that if one or more is applicable- to help you know when it’s time ;).

Remember! that our duties and responsibilities won’t go anywhere, but our health will deteriorate before we even know it. It’s one life; embrace it, enjoy it, and better live it to the maximum.

1. YOU MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF EVERYTHING

You are highly irritable, you make a big deal out of every little problem,  your coworkers are avoiding you, and urge you to go on vacation. Needless to mention that you count the minutes to leave work & shut down your computer, get ready to leave at least 10 minutes before the official hours

2.  YOU’RE CONSTANTLY TIRED, LOOKING PALE, SAD, & NOT TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

Whether you sleep at 8PM or at 1AM you are always exhausted, your eyes hurt so bad, and you struggle to keep your eyelids open. Everybody notices that you look sad, and pale, your hair and clothes are messy, and you walk in the same outfit most of the time as you have no will or energy to waste time to look good, or to choose different outfits…Because who cares!

3. YOU PRESS THE SNOOZE BUTTON MORE THAN TWICE TO WAKE UP

Waking up for work, or to get anything done is a real struggle as you want to sleep as much as you can to fight your exhaustion, and to escape from the “things” that you are asked to do. You start wondering if you really need this job you’re doing, you cannot stand the idea of going there -which gives you an upset stomach-, or being asked to do anything at all.

4. CAFFEINE IS NO MORE EFFECTIVE

No matter how many cups of coffee or tea you gulp, nothing seems to be effective!

5. YOU’RE UNPRODUCTIVE, NOT FOCUSED & START MAKING MISTAKES

And when you start doing your work, or duties nothing seems to get done; you become master at procrastination, you are easily distracted, and when you try to focus you make lots of mistakes as you do nothing wholeheartedly.

6. YOU LACK CREATIVITY & MOTIVATION

Everything bores the hell out of you, you can’t control negative thoughts from intensively flowing into your system, and you are not as creative, or as motivated as you always have been. Warning Sign!

7. YOU’RE STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN YOUR EVERYDAY ROUTINE

Going to the gym, doing the laundry, delivering an assignment, tolerating traffic, following a nutritious diet, heading to work, running errands..no, no, nooooo! You keep giving yourself excuses not to, and everything seems like too freaking much..

8. NOTHING MAKES YOU HAPPY

You go to the movies, you meet with acquaintances, you catch up with old friends, you visit your family, you dine at a newly opened restaurant, yet nothing makes you feel happy, you are in a bad mood more than usual, and you are sick and tired to the bones!

9. YOU START FEELING TERRIBLY GUILTY ABOUT MISSING EVERYTHING

As a result you turn into a couch-potato; skipping birthday parties, family gatherings, weddings, along with significant events, because you don’t feel like socializing, however you feel terribly guilty afterwards, hating your tendency to become a loner.

10. YOU OVER-EAT, OVER-SHOP, OVER-SMOKE, YOU JUST OVER-DO EVERYTHING

You take food, smoking, irresponsible shopping, sleeping or staying up late for extended hours, or any unhealthy habit as your only getaway from your boredom.

11. YOU’RE STARTING TO FEEL BAD ABOUT SPENDING YOUR MONEY OVER NONE SENSE

You get into the “I wanna travel” mood which makes you feel terrible about every penny spent, thinking: “why did I spend so much, I could have saved this money to travel somewhere I’ve never been before.”

12. YOU CAN’T HELP IT BUT GOING THROUGH OLD PHOTOS & OVERDOSING ON TRAVEL & FEEL GOOD MOVIES

You watch travel & feel good movies over and over again, log into your social accounts and linger over your travel photos sighing, thinking to yourself: “this was the best trip ever, I’ve never felt this happy since then. I really must invest time, effort, and money to experience something similar.”

13. YOU KEEP ENVYING THOSE WHO TRAVEL

Instagram becomes your loyal friend, you spend many hours scrolling up and down, following accounts, envying those who make travel a priority, and get to actually see the world.

14. YOU’RE OUT OF INSTAGRAM-ABLE CONTENT

You get too excited with all the stunning Instagram photos, and feel like you want to share yours only to find out that you are out of stock :(, and your only solution would be to travel, and come back with loads of photos.

15. YOU’RE OUT OF TANNING MARKS & YOUR HOLIDAY ESSENTIALS HAVE ROTTEN

Even worse, your “supposedly” permanent tanning marks are all gone, your swimsuit, suitcase, hiking gear, or whatever item you can’t travel without have rotten from being stored, and lack of use.

If you have fallen victim to any of these signs then it’s time to book your next vacation right here!

Do you know of other signs?!! Share with us in the comments below..

About the Author

Passainte Assem

A former lawyer, travel junkie and adventurer from head to toe. Whether broke or out of vacation time, always on the lookout for the next destination. Keen to share her travel stories, planning tips and photographs to give you a real sense of place.