8 Steps to Overcoming the Post-Holiday Mouse

Returning from vacation, you would seem to be filled with energy and vitality, and with a surge of enthusiasm to take up work. However, instead, you feel empty, lethargic and apathy. You start on the way from the airport. Just the eye was pleased with the greenery of palm trees, turquoise water and raspberry sunset, and here you are standing in traffic in the middle of gray concrete boxes, inhaling the smell of exhaust gases, dust and hot asphalt, and with horror you realize that the abyss of gray everyday life overwhelms you for the foreseeable future. According to a study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, more than half of people feel more harmonious and happier before vacation than after. Our recommendations will help you overcome these problems, maintain the positivity and ease gained during the rest period and focus on the value and quality of your daily life. Prepare for a vacation in advance The most prone to semi-holiday melancholy people whose life is subordinated to the formula “work-sleep-work”. Not being able to relax during the holidays, they are very disappointed. To avoid such a situation, prepare your departure in advance. It's not as hard as it looks. Finish important business, warn those with whom you work, about your absence, delegate your authority to one of your colleagues during the holidays and put the phone on the answering machine.
People engaged in mental work often lose the sense of connection with their own body, living on the principle of “the head is the main thing, and the flesh is stupid.” And when on vacation they “collapse” bodily sensations – the sun, wind, water, delicious food, juicy colors – with unusualness everything seems too bright and causes anxiety. You should learn to deliberately turn on all your senses to feel here and now: “I hold a white cup, feel the smoothness and warmth with my palms, the smell of coffee tickles my nostrils.” An equally effective way is physical exercise. Beach volleyball, beach yoga, jogging along the embankment - any physical activity that brings you pleasure will increase the production of happiness hormones beta-endorphins and accelerate the elimination of norepinephrine and cortisol - accumulated in the body stress hormones. From year to year, we make the same mistake: take a return ticket for the date preceding the day of work. In this way, we traumatize our body and emotions: the sudden stress of the first working day destroys half of the benefits received from vacation, causing irritability, insomnia, malfunctioning of the immune system. It is absolutely necessary to leave at least two days (even by reducing the duration of stay on the seashore or in the mountains) for a smooth and gradual transition from vacation relaxation to working condition. Do not try to embrace the immense When you return to work, a pile of accumulated affairs awaits you. Do not try to do everything at once: answer all emails, satisfy all requests, disassemble all papers. Prioritize it. Focus on important and urgent tasks. What is not urgent, do later, and what is not important, can be postponed forever. Gradually load yourself. Continue to enjoy life Try not to splash the acquired holiday feeling of life. Keep pampering yourself with pleasant things: going to the theater or walking in the park, having dinner in a cozy restaurant or meeting with friends. Such a program is an excellent completion of the first working days. Particular attention should be paid to the quantity and quality of sleep: try to go to bed a little earlier than usual. Even if in the traditions of your team to celebrate the first day after the holiday with tea with cakes and sandwiches, you should not eat the post-holiday blues with heavy food. Replace junk food with bright fresh fruits and vegetables - a sin not to take advantage of summer vitamin abundance! Healthy food will return lightness to the body and will keep the feeling of celebration in the soul. Plan your next trip This is your control shot in the holiday buffet. Right now, before the routine sucks you in, you will probably have ideas about where you would like to go, what to see and how to do it better. This will not only give you the opportunity to be fully equipped by the beginning of next season, but will also allow you to extend your virtual vacation for a few minutes of bliss, which will be spent on exploring the peculiarities of the climate in the exotic resort, attractions, hotels and local cuisine. Feeling sad after a vacation is a common phenomenon. If what you are doing is generally enjoyable, then after the holiday, most likely, you will be able to enjoy it. You will experience a slight attention disorder, difficulty concentrating and mild apathy – and that’s normal. However, if the discomfort from returning to work is intense almost to physical sensations and prolonged, it is worth listening to yourself. Travel is valuable because it allows you to get rid of blinders, look at your life with a fresh look and stimulate our creativity. Perhaps you should think about major changes in your life. You are in the best shape to generate ideas. However, it is not necessary to hurry with their implementation - give yourself time for an informed and balanced decision.

Source: estet-portal.com