No where affordableLast week The New York Times tried to coin yet another gloomy term for our vernacular: vacation deficit disorder. As if “staycation” didn’t spark enough scorn about leisure in current economic conditions, we now have a pop psychology diagnosis for the consequences of skimping on what has become a costlier luxury than ever.

By foregoing vacation, as the Times article mentions, we stunt the brain’s reserve capacity to cope with stressors. More stress, body wears down, body falls apart. On top of that, we’re missing out on potential bonding experiences with travel companions.

I think we get it. This is basically preaching “Take a vacation no matter what!” to a disappointed choir that can’t afford it right now. Quite a pickle there.

While theoretically we can cut expenses elsewhere to pay for a vacation, I’m not sure how many of us feel comfortable diverting money from savings accounts or debt reduction during uncertain times.

So then what does one do to keep body and mind healthy until vacation is within means again?

Well, up until a week ago I couldn’t speak with any authority on this subject because I myself began to deteriorate from lack of vacation. I had to step back from blogging for fear that I’d erupt into Jim Cramer-esque tirades. Last thing I wanted to do was to expose how disgruntled I’ve been feeling about money and day-to-day life in general.

At my lowest point, which was somewhere between a pounding sinus headache and coughing my lungs out thanks to a summer-cold, I found something completely freeing in being able to say to myself, “Hey, it majorly sucks to be writing about money right now. Other people are managing just fine in covering financial topics, but I’m not there right now. I need a breather.”

Suddenly, the pressure was off. But feeling entitled to a break was harder.

There’s something taboo in acknowledging personal limitations in our culture, even if they’re just temporary.

Imagine telling your co-workers, “Guys I need to slow down. I’m working beyond my maximum capacity. I may start to sputter soon.” That’s the kind of talk that gets you lined up in front of a firing squad: boss and HR do the firing you from your job.

Instead of trying to feel like I had to keep up with blogging and my intense summer class schedule, this past week I decided I’d try a “bare minimum vacation.” Basically, I tried to identify what’s the bare minimum I could accomplish for the day without burning out (e.g., instead of trying to make the best Photoshop composition in the class, I’ll just finish the damn assignment).

I found that setting reasonable benchmarks suited to my energy level actually helped me to accomplish tasks I passionately wanted to avoid. Sometimes I got more done than I expected because I felt good about being productive.

Persistence is deeply ingrained in our competitive culture, but unfortunately pacing is a word that we forget is in our vocabulary. I dare say, some consider “pacing” to be a vulgar word.

Since vacations aren’t going to get cheaper anytime soon, I offer the suggestion that you take a vacation from popularity and likability and assert to others that you need to slow down. Speaking from personal experience, taking a break from high-output expectations has certainly made the idea of a delayed vacation more tolerable.

But what say you? Are we putting too much importance on vacations, or are there other steps we can take to simulate the benefits ?

[Photo by: rogilde.]