The reading passage has eight paragraphs A-H.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
The getaway blue
Formula explains why it takes so long to relax on holiday
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A. With so much to do, going on holiday is certainly no vacation. First there's the flight to arrange, then the hotel or villa to book, and that's before you've sorted out the delicate matter of the beach outfit, evening wear and reading material.
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B. For much of the year we fantasize about a long break from the relentless drive of the everyday grind. But making our dream holiday a reality is what makes the stress really kick in, so it is little wonder it takes most holidaymakers a good few days to relax after their arrival. No matter how idyllic the surroundings, there's no immediate way to simply forget all about work, the children's schooling, the leaking roof and all those other domestic issues we long to escape.
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C. Susan Quilliam, psychologist body language expert and regular TV and radio commentator, states that stress creates actual changes in the body's hormonal balance and these take a while to dissipate. Ms Quilliam says that stress such as that caused by trying to arrange a holiday, creates hormonal changes in the body, including mood alteration. The result is that it takes the body a certain amount of time to regain its hormonal balance and become stress-free.
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D. We can suffer from anxiety, irritability and a range of more serious psychological problems including mild depression. The main point is that if we get stressed before the holiday, we may not be able to relax sufficiently to enjoy ourselves - often for several days after our arrival.
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E. Now we have a formula to calculate the amount of holiday time needed to recover from the stress of preparing for what should be our annual period of rest and recuperation. The formula, devised by Ms Quilliam, is calculated thus: time spent preparing for the holiday, multiplied by the level of stress caused by the preparation (on a scale of 0 to 9), then divided by the stress Level of the holiday (on a scale of 1 to 15). The result is the number of recovery hours needed before relaxation is possible.
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F. Ms Quilliam points out that taking a holiday is no longer a question of catching a bus to the nearest seaside resort with your bucket and spade. Today's pressurised lifestyles mean that going on holiday is a lot more stressful. We not only have to organise foreign travel and negotiate long, complex journeys, we also have to settle our home and work matters before we go.
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G. Add in potential tension with travel partners and the psychological pressures of high expectations, and by the time we arrive at our destination, we're stressed to the max! So according to Ms Quilliam, the secret to a stress-free holiday is planning and having realistic expectations. This means concluding any unfinished work in the office and ensuring the children are sufficiently entertained during the trip.
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H. The results of a survey commissioned by Lloyds TSB bank and carried out by Ms Quilliam, have confirmed her theories; today's holidaymakers really are stressed out. More than 83 per cent of people surveyed admitted to getting 'severely stressed' in the run-up to their holiday. More than a quarter of people admitted to needing the first few days of their holiday to recover. Some became so anxious they left without making essential arrangements and forgot things such as feeding the cat (11 per cent), taking out travel insurance (20 per cent), and cancelling the milk (12 per cent). Amazingly, a tiny minority of travellers (a little over 1 per cent) actually forgot to tell their bosses they were going on holiday!