These seven vacation habits cause stress and can ruin your entire vacation

Vacations can be a great way to unwind, but often we prevent this by indulging in habits that cause stress. This will definitely complicate the situation with mental health because neither the brain nor the body is designed to work constantly without a break.

According to HuffPost's travel and mental health experts, there is a number of popular vacation habits that lead to depression. Here's how to recognize and avoid them.

Re-planning

Laura Ratliff, senior editorial director at TripSavvy, says that overplanning is the No. 1 way to turn a relaxing vacation into a stressful one.

"Even if you love a busy itinerary, try leaving one day completely open for exploration on your next trip. In a city, that might mean taking a walk and discovering a great record store or cafe. On a lonely trip to the beach, you might finally finish a book you've been putting off for months," Ratliff says.

Travel blogger Marek Bron also advises against mixing too many activities and attractions into one day. He says that planning every minute may seem like a great way to control your trip, but it's not conducive to relaxation.

Skipping meals

Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer, says that skipping meals is another bad habit of many travelers.

"It's often accompanied by planning too many things to do in a day and almost guarantees that you'll be stressed," Dengler said.

Being too strict with itineraries

According to him, having too strict a schedule is also a stressful vacation habit. Therefore, Dengler advises to be open to spontaneity and enjoy the natural turn of events.

Checking work emails

Psychotherapists say that opening emails puts the brain back into working mode and recommend keeping your eyes away from the inbox. Everything you need can be resolved upon your return, and if something is really urgent, you will still get a call.

"When you check your email while on vacation, the panic will increase because you can't even do anything about the problem. That is, you worry about the problem without having any options to solve it. And then the brain will be completely focused on work until the end of the vacation," Jenny Maenpaa, a psychotherapist from New York, said.

Comparing your trip with other people's trips

Sue Varma, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University at Langone, says that the comparison game extends to vacations as a way to show social status and intelligence. It's important to remember that other people's travel experiences have nothing to do with yours. And just because you can't afford a hotel room with a fancy pool that you saw on someone's social media doesn't mean that your vacation will be inherently less amazing than theirs. Fixating on comparisons is a direct path to disaster.

Underplanning

Very often, by the time the vacation comes, people are so burned out that they don't plan anything at all.

"We say, 'I'm going to go to bed, drink some fruit cocktails, and come back feeling great!' But if people are accustomed to schedules and busyness, such an empty stretch can have unpleasant consequences. We can wake up and feel scared, knowing that nothing is planned for today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow," Maenpaa says.

Therefore, she recommends making a short list of a few main attractions or restaurants that you would like to visit and scatter them over the course of your vacation.

"Over-planning and under-planning can be equally stressful," travel blogger Ciara Johnson added.

Setting unrealistic expectations

Everyone dreams of the perfect vacation, but it's not immune to adversity anyway.

"People may hope to become more relaxed versions of themselves on vacation, but they may also be triggered or bewildered by the disruption of routine. A mother will not suddenly feel 'easy' because she is in the Caribbean and not in her home kitchen. Therefore, it is important to take these facts into account and be prepared for real events," the experts summarized.