There are many reasons to feel depressed, and one of the worst types of depression during this season is post-vacation depression.

The excitement associated with going on vacation can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, so can the feeling of post-vacation depression. Although you really should be basking in the memories of your holiday, most of the time, you’re feeling lost being in your normal routine.

The thing you want most after returning, is to go again, right? Well, some of us do, and some of us really have problems with coming back home.

What does post-vacation depression look like?

There are a few ways to recognize those who are depressed because their holiday has ended. One of the most common reactions is anger, just pure distaste that we cannot live in the beauty of our vacation destination. Well, I guess we could always move there, but then, I bet we would eventually miss our home again too.

So, let’s look at a few ways to tell when we’ve caught the post-holiday blues:

1. Sleeping problems

When post-vacation depression hits, it’s either hard to sleep or we just want to sleep too much. If we cannot sleep, it’s because we cannot stop thinking of all the wonderful times we had on holiday.

Maybe we’re lying awake remembering the scuba diving experience, or the mountain hike, either way, we just can’t seem to rest.

If we’re sleeping too much, we just don’t want to think about how our vacation is over. And so, we sleep in order to let our dream world take over for a while. At least there, we may be able to dream about the fun we had as well. If you’re sleeping too much or too little, you just might be depressed because your vacation has ended.

2. Headaches or colds

Maybe you’re having headaches every day since your vacation ended. That’s because you’re depressed that we had to come back to our real lives, maybe our less-than-savory jobs as well.

The stress of going back to work and not being able to drink margaritas on the beach can be too much to handle. Thus, this stress will give us headaches every day until we’ve accepted the fact that life must go on.

We can also contract a cold much easier if we’re stressed about post-vacation woes. When stress levels are up, it’s much easier to pick up germs from others. It’s also easier due to fatigue from travel as well. If you’ve got a headache or cold, maybe you miss your island paradise just a bit too much.

3. Financial woes

Is your bank account looking pretty empty? Well, it ‘s probably because you spent quite a lot of money on vacation. If you’re checking your account and feel a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, you may be contracting post-vacation depression.

You see, now you’re home, and all you can do is go back to work and make sure you have enough money left to make it until next payday. Yes, if you have financial woes, you definitely have post-vacation sadness.

4. Irritable mood swings

Now that you’re home again, I bet you’re having mood swings all over the place. While before vacation, when things seem to be going your way, now, you feel like nothing goes right for you. You are easily angered by others and even cry easier watching movies, especially if… the actors are on vacation.

You will recognize the post-holiday blues by the ease in which you change your moods. You could be okay one minute, but then in a few moments more, you could be sinking into a pit of despair. This irritability shows the most when returning to work.

5. You aren’t interested in anything

Before you took that road trip across the country, you had many interests to share with family and friends. In fact, going on road trips was one of them. Now that the vacation is over, you stare are all your other hobbies and go blank.

It’s almost like you have writer’s block but it’s blocking everything you loved to do. If you felt like painting before, now that summer’s ending, you just don’t have the desire anymore. If you felt like gardening, the end of vacation seems to have signified the end of that too.

Honestly, sinking into the couch and just mindlessly watching television seems just as interesting. Now, that’s sad.

Getting back out of the funk

Coming back from vacation is never easy, especially the unpacking part. I hate that. However, there are some ways to overcome post-vacation depression. Here are a few examples.

1. Plan another trip!

While this may seem silly considering your finances aren’t ready yet, it’s just what this sort of depression needs. Planning your next trip lets you imagine being away again, and also gives you something else to look forward to. Even if the next trip is a year away.

So, give it a try. Start planning the next fun-filled holiday now.

2. Stay busy

Another way to ward off the depression of this kind is to just stay busy. While you may not be interested in what you were before, all it takes is a little push to get back into the swing of things.

If physical fitness was something you enjoyed, get started right away. After all, physical activity, for instance, also lifts the mood on its own.

3. Take a little more time off

Yes, you do need to get back into your routine, but if the depression is bad enough, just wait one more week before starting full-throttle. Yes, you may still have to return to work immediately, but you don’t have to join your friends at the bar again as soon as you get back.

Just take a bit more time for yourself so you can accept the fact that vacation, and possibly, summer, is also at an end.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

Remember, no vacation lasts forever unless you’re stinking rich and live a life most of us only dream of. Vacations come and they go, and that’s what they’re supposed to do. We must have time to celebrate and we must get back to our priorities as well.

Just always know that eventually, you will be off on another adventure soon enough. Take care, and I hope you beat those post-vacation blues and have some fun right where you are!

References:

  1. https://wellness.unl.edu
  2. https://www.health.harvard.edu

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