Every July 4th at the end of the day, a friend used to say, “Well, summer is almost over.” And summer did seem to fly by in a blink after that day. Now here we are again, putting the summer of 2018 to bed as we face Labor Day weekend. This last chance at summer always seems a little sad. It’s the marker of so many things—the end of lifeguards at the beach, the last chance to get school supplies, the beginning of another school year. (That includes nursing school. Here’s some good advice for new nursing students that we collected a while back from our readers.)

Like many others, I recently spent a week on vacation with family. It took some doing to get things organized and some working ahead to meet deadlines, but it was worth it. As a manager, there’s no one to keep certain things moving while you’re gone. So the week leading up to vacation is a frenzied time, organizing and working ahead to cover deadlines, and getting ready to leave. Then, once back, there’s another frenzied time to try to catch up. My strategy is to check email once a day while on vacation. It keeps what I have to deal with on return manageable, and I can relax better when I know that all is well at work.

By contrast, as a staff nurse, I just finished my last shift and went on vacation—a week or so of nothing work related. My manager had to figure out how to cover my position while I was away. (My heart goes out to the manager of the Mesa, Arizona, ICU in which 16 staff nurses are all pregnant at the same time!)

Different types of vacations.

I feel like I’ve missed summer if I don’t spend a few days at a beach, relaxing. (Though in light of our current CE article on the health hazards of too much sitting, I’ll plan to add some walking as well!) Others use vacation to travel to exotic places or perhaps volunteer on a medical mission. Colleague Sue Hassmiller used one vacation to follow Florence Nightingale’s travels from her home in England to the Crimea. (See the series of blog posts she wrote for us about her travels.)

Unused vacation days.

According to a 2016 survey, more than half of Americans (55%) left vacation days unused. But it’s important to take vacation time—and not just an extra day tacked on to a weekend. A vacation can recharge your energy and return you to work refreshed (a caveat: vacations can be stressful if not planned well. A Harvard Business Review (HBR) report offers tips for a successful vacation.). Another HBR report notes, “Statistically, taking more vacation results in greater success at work as well as lower stress and more happiness at work and home.”

So, if you still have vacation days remaining at this end of summer, use them.