Nigerians are generally not huge on taking vacations as a majority of the citizens pride themselves in being hustlers and hard workers.


A number of those who have corporate jobs where they are entitled to an average of 2 weeks annual leave do not even bother to go on break or they take on temporary jobs for the period they are on leave from their day job. But the decision to totally engage in all work and no play creates a work-life imbalance, leading to increased stress, reduced productivity and inadvertently, a miserable life.

The truth is, not everyone understands the need to take time off for a vacation, and while the signs are always there, they do not recognize them and continue to put their sanity at risk. To help emphasize the importance of rest and rejuvenation, Jovago.com, Africa’s no. 1 online hotel booking service reveals 5 signs that tell that you need a vacation.



You find it hard to concentrate.

If you are in tune with your mind and body, you will realize that there is a period of time when you feel mentally and emotionally tired. You spend more than you normally would doing routine tasks and you find it hard to grasp even the simplest things and focusing or concentrating becomes a tedious chore. At times like this, you should take break especially if you live in Lagos. Your body is simply letting you know it needs some time off, and in cases where it lasts for more than a day and stretches into a lengthy period, be rest assured it is a sign you need to take a vacation.

You become overly negative and cynical

While there are people who are natural pessimists and are cynical, there are others who show the attitude as a symptom of stress, a definite sign that it is time to go on vacation. If you find yourself becoming less optimistic, you get irritated by every little thing and snap back at comments, you are constantly in a bad mood and everything frustrates you and you alone for a considerable length of time, you need to accept the fact that you are due to recharge and take a relaxing trip.



Unexplained insomnia

It is normal to lose sleep over intense worries or as a side effect from medication, however, if you are constantly having trouble sleeping and there is really no substantial evidence for it, chances are you are burnt out and you may want to consider taking a vacation. Working excessively and not relaxing at intervals can heighten sleep problems, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Rather than rely on medication sold in pharmacies around Nigeria, which can cause more harm than good in the long run, clean out a period of time on your schedule and go relax in a different environment.

Nothing excites you anymore

The norm is to be excited about your day and tasks, especially if you are engaged in a job or field you are passionate about. However if along the line, you notice that you have lost the zest to be excellent at you job, nothing excites you anymore and your competitive spirit has even be been snuffed out, there is a high chance you are in a mental rut. The truth is that at that point, you would be doing more harm to your career than good, and the best way to get yourself back on track is to take a break long enough for you to rethink your aims in life and goals for your career.



You keep making unintentional mistakes

No one is infallible and mistakes are common to man, however, if you find out that you keep making loads of unplanned mistakes even in situations where you are quite certain you would never have made the error on a normal day, chances are high that you may need to take a vacation. These unusual mistakes will not only persist if you do nothing about them, they could put a dent on your confidence and affect your reputation negatively.