Is a meditation retreat the better vacation? effect of retreats and vacations on fatigue, emotional well-being, and acting with awareness.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science

Emotions* ; Mental Health* ; Mindfulness*; Fatigue/*psychology ; Meditation/*psychology; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

It is well established that leisure vacations markedly improve well-being, but that these effects are only of short duration. The present study aimed to investigate whether vacation effects would be more lasting if individuals practiced meditation during the leisure episode. Meditation is known to improve well-being durably, among others, by enhancing the mental faculty of mindfulness. In this aim, leisure vacations during which individuals practiced meditation to some extent were compared with holidays not including any formal meditation practice as well as with meditation retreats (characterized by intense meditation practice) utilizing a naturalistic observational design. Fatigue, well-being, and mindfulness were assessed ten days before, ten days after, and ten weeks after the stays in a sample of 120 individuals accustomed to meditation practices. To account for differences in the experience of these stays, recovery experiences were additionally assessed. Ten days after the stay, there were no differences except for an increase in mindfulness for those practicing meditation. Ten weeks after the stay, meditation retreats and vacations including meditation were associated with greater increases in mindfulness, lower levels of fatigue, and higher levels of well-being than an "ordinary" vacation during which meditation was not practiced. The finding suggests that the inclusion of meditation practice during vacation could help alleviate vacations' greatest pitfall, namely the rapid decline of its positive effects.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

J Occup Health Psychol. 2017 Jul;22(3):365-380. (PMID: 28358572)
J Psychosom Res. 2017 Jan;92:16-25. (PMID: 27998508)
J Appl Psychol. 1997 Aug;82(4):516-27. (PMID: 9378682)
PLoS One. 2019 May 9;14(5):e0216643. (PMID: 31071152)
Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2003;12(2):85-91. (PMID: 12830302)
Ann Behav Med. 2008 Jun;35(3):331-40. (PMID: 18535870)
Front Psychol. 2016 Dec 12;7:1935. (PMID: 28018270)
Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 Apr;12(4):163-9. (PMID: 18329323)
J Appl Psychol. 2012 Jul;97(4):854-865. (PMID: 22545621)
Holist Nurs Pract. 2005 Jan-Feb;19(1):26-35. (PMID: 15736727)
J Travel Med. 2005 Mar-Apr;12(2):94-101. (PMID: 15996454)
J Appl Psychol. 2006 Jul;91(4):936-45. (PMID: 16834516)
Psychol Health. 2001 Sep;16(5):595-606. (PMID: 22804501)
J Occup Health Psychol. 2010 Apr;15(2):131-9. (PMID: 20364911)
J Clin Psychol. 2011 Mar;67(3):267-77. (PMID: 21254055)
Psychol Bull. 1992 Jul;112(1):155-9. (PMID: 19565683)
Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020 Nov;142(5):374-393. (PMID: 32820538)
JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Mar;174(3):357-68. (PMID: 24395196)
Health Psychol. 2013 Oct;32(10):1104-9. (PMID: 23527522)
Curr Opin Psychol. 2019 Aug;28:238-244. (PMID: 30878004)
Am Psychol. 2015 Oct;70(7):632-58. (PMID: 26436313)
J Couns Psychol. 2015 Apr;62(2):106-14. (PMID: 25621590)
J Appl Psychol. 2006 Mar;91(2):330-50. (PMID: 16551187)
Stress Health. 2018 Dec;34(5):629-638. (PMID: 30113771)
Assessment. 2004 Sep;11(3):191-206. (PMID: 15358875)
J Occup Health Psychol. 2007 Jul;12(3):204-21. (PMID: 17638488)
Psychiatry Res. 2020 Sep;291:113268. (PMID: 32629296)
Emotion. 2011 Apr;11(2):299-312. (PMID: 21500899)
Assessment. 2006 Mar;13(1):27-45. (PMID: 16443717)
Psychol Health. 2011 Dec;26(12):1606-22. (PMID: 21678165)
Clin Psychol Rev. 2011 Aug;31(6):1041-56. (PMID: 21802619)
Occup Environ Med. 2003 Jun;60 Suppl 1:i62-70. (PMID: 12782749)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Jun;36(5):664-81. (PMID: 21035949)
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010 Apr;78(2):169-83. (PMID: 20350028)
J Travel Med. 2004 Sep-Oct;11(5):300-4. (PMID: 15544714)
Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2014 Nov;6(3):251-79. (PMID: 24919454)
Stress Health. 2014 Aug;30(3):232-43. (PMID: 25100274)
J Psychosom Res. 2003 Apr;54(4):345-52. (PMID: 12670612)
Transl Psychiatry. 2016 Aug 30;6(8):e880. (PMID: 27576169)
J Clin Psychol. 2012 Jul;68(7):755-65. (PMID: 22623334)
J Occup Health. 2009;51(1):13-25. (PMID: 19096200)
Occup Med (Lond). 2000 Apr;50(3):167-72. (PMID: 10912359)
J Behav Med. 2008 Feb;31(1):23-33. (PMID: 17899351)
Trends Cogn Sci. 2015 Sep;19(9):515-23. (PMID: 26231761)

Date Created: 20210208 Date Completed: 20210723 Latest Revision: 20210723

20221213

PMC7869997

10.1371/journal.pone.0246038

33556137