Share your trip photos with family and friends to help work through post-vacation depression.
I remember the first time that post-vacation depression came for me.
It was Saturday, just a couple of days after Thanksgiving in 2017, and I had just returned home from my second-ever solo trip. I’d gone to Thailand and Cambodia for two weeks and had such a magical time. After 30 hours of travel — flying from Bangkok, to Tokyo, to Chicago, to Kansas City — “bedraggled” would have been an understatement as I returned home. The mattress on the floor at my parents’ house gave me a warm welcome and I plunged into blissful slumber.
I spent the following day, Sunday, with my family — cheerful, though perhaps a bit quieter than usual. (I was recovering from a 13-hour time difference, after all.) We put up the Christmas tree, and it was a good day.
And then Monday happened.
From the moment I woke up, I knew it was going to be a rough one. The sky was moody and overcast, and I felt like I had a pit in my stomach. It was my first day back to work — and even though my job allowed me to occasionally work from home, I was dreading it. How many emails would be awaiting me? What problems had been escalated while I was away?
It was almost like reverse culture shock. The life I was living 95% of the time had become unfamiliar and undesirable to me in just two weeks, and the thought of returning to it was unbearable. So what did I do?
I moped around my apartment all day long, feeling deeply sad, and then at 6:30 p.m. I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 7:30 a.m. the next day.
Post-vacation depression is real. Well, actually, what we’re talking about here isn’t really depression. (If you’re experiencing actual depression or any other mental health crisis, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.)
We’re actually talking about the post-vacation blues.
And the post-vacation blues will absolutely knock you on your ass. But we’ve got to find ways to deal with them or else life will become too miserable. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.
Don’t wallow too long
You need some time to wallow? Fine. (I did too.) Eat ice cream, binge Netflix, do absolutely nothing but feel sorry for yourself. But try to cut it off at one day. Any longer and it’s only going to get harder to pull yourself up.
Share your memories
Misery isn’t the only thing that loves company. Set up a happy hour date with one of your favorite co-workers and tell them about your trip. Show your family a slideshow of all your best pictures and videos. Talking about it will help you continue to process the experience you had.
Get enough sleep
Whether your time difference was 1 hour or 13, traveling is exhausting. Your body probably needs some time to recover — so sleep when you’re tired. Just make sure you’re sleeping during fairly regular hours, or else you may make the problem worse.
Have hard conversations with yourself
If you’re still feeling really unhappy, start to ask yourself whether there’s a deeper problem. Are there aspects of your “regular” life that aren’t fulfilling to you? Do you need to make a change?
(Fun fact — I did need to make a change! So a few months later, I put my plan into action to quit my corporate job and become an English teacher in Spain. 🙂)
Plan your next trip
Whether it’s fantasy or reality, sometimes all you need is something else to look forward to. Get started on planning your next trip!
What are your favorite ways to beat the post-vacation depression/blues? Leave me a comment and let me know!
-Cathy
Originally Published on November 30, 2017.
Leave a Reply