Everything you Need to Know about Post Holiday Blues

FACT – Post holiday blues refer to the feelings of sadness or disappointment following the holiday season.

The Joys of Being on Holiday

I’ve just got back from an amazing trip, feeling relaxed and refreshed. Then the realisation sinks in. I’m home. The holiday is over.

That glorious feeling of waking up each morning carefree and cheery. Days without the normal routine and structure but with an excitement of what the day may entail. Will you be relaxing on a beach, exploring a destination, going for a walk, sitting by a pool – decisions, decisions. Yet, nice decisions!

Just being in a new destination coupled with the abandonment of regularity seems to send a huge endorphin burst through your body. Everyone is happy and stress free. You’re not thinking about your DIY jobs or tending to the garden or the myriad of other things waiting to be done at home. No, it’s that liberating feeling we all love.

As the holiday goes on, you begin to look and feel more and more healthy. Your skin has a glow to it that wasn’t there before. You feel less stressed and so much more enthusiastic about embracing new activities or meeting new people. You like the holiday you a lot.

The Reality of the Return to Home

This part doesn’t really need much embellishment. We all recognise it and we all experience a very similar sequence of events

• generally dull weather obviously dependant upon where you live but UK….
• strange, slightly stale smell of your empty house when you open the front door
• lots of mail, flyers and unwelcome brown envelopes
• an empty fridge and uninspiring cupboards
• a suitcase to unpack, launder and iron
• garden crying out for maintenance
• a tan that fades by the hour
• diet and alcohol ban (weekends only!)
• back to the daily routine of home life

Is it Quite Normal to Feel these Post Holiday Blues

Yes! After spending weeks of planning, researching and anticipation. After sorting out your holiday clothes, accessories, lotions and potions. After that holiday, that amazing holiday. It’s over – been and gone in what feels like a click of the fingers.

Before you know it, you’re walking through your front door as if you’ve just been out on an errand. Oh dear!

Now its back to normality. Back to the routine of everyday life. I love my life at home so what’s the problem? Why am I engulfed in this feeling of utter gloom as if I have a black cloud hanging over me. 

I’m sure you’ve experienced these post holiday blues at some stage. After the build up and excitement of the holiday, these blues are most definitely not the welcome home present we want.

Yet, how do you shake off this feeling of sluggishness and disappointment about being back in your lovely home? Everything suddenly feels so mundane. It’s an alien feeling of emptiness. And how long is it going to stay around? 

How these ‘holiday blues’ Affect Me

As I sit in my kitchen, I scroll through my beautiful holiday snaps for the umpteenth time and recall each and every moment with fondness. I proudly display them to family and friends without prompt or hesitation.  I even upload them to my social media accounts despite only having a handful of followers.  I will do anything to preserve my holiday memories.

Yet, fortunately for me,  I know the fog that consumes me is only short lived and that I will “swing back to normal” fairly soon. But what can I do to quicken the pace?

I’m aware that there are those who suffer more long term, amplified anxieties and depression and there is no short term fix. I cannot imagine how this must be and my intention is not to make light of this. However, my blog is focused on those of you, like myself, who thankfully suffer from a temporary state of post holiday blues .

Did you know post holiday blues is also called post holiday syndrome, stress or depression. The National Alliance on Mental Illness have reported that 64% of people claim to  be affected by holiday depression. But unlike clinical depression, the distress is short-lived rather than long term.

How to Step out from Beneath the Holiday Blues Cloud

So with no further ado, let me share with you my tips on bouncing back (it may take up to 2 weeks ☹️ ) but here we go….

Week before i come home:

• book in dates with my friends or family for a coffee, lunch and catch up for when I get home
• schedule my next gym session or other such activities. Physical activity has proven to play a critical role in preventing and lessening symptoms of ‘holiday blues’ or depression.

Just home:

• Get back into your normal routine straight away
• Try something new – a language course; salsa classes or volunteering
• start planning my next holiday. I’m not joking. It’s odd but when I’m on my dream holiday, I often think about where my next adventure will be. So beginning my research during this dull post holiday blues period is not an unusual occurrence for me. 
• Try to get back into a regular sleeping pattern straight away. I know fighting jet lag can be a nightmare but if you can force yourself into your home time zone as soon as possible it’ll serve you well
• social interaction is key to a speedier recovery
• Eat and drink healthily. I don’t know about you but when I’m on holiday I definitely indulge too much

Why we Should Not Worry about these Post Holiday Blues

Guess what …psychologist Dr Melissa Weinberg from Deakin University’s School of Psychology published in the New Daily that  “this experience of heightened negativity” after a holiday is really good for you! 

Does that make you feel better now? It doesn’t make me feel good.

Well according to Dr Weinberg,  its actually a sign of good mental health and psychological functioning. She goes on to explain that most people hold on to this wonderful post holiday wellbeing when they return home but the brain prefers consistency. 

The brain struggles to restore stability when our routines are altered and this conflict causes an emotional comedown at the end of our holidays. Blame the brain. The brain trying to return us to our normality makes us feel stressed or depressed. 

We wouldn’t enjoy the highs without the lows, the sensible folk amongst us would say. I think the bottom line is, whether holiday blues are healthy or not for us, it means we’ve had a blast on holiday and we’d much rather be back there than home. 

Positivity is the Way Forward

So keep positive. You are definitely not alone with this rollercoaster of feelings. Try my tips above. Take a look at my Destination page or blogs to inspire you to find your next amazing adventure. If you give yourself things to look forward to, a meal out, the theatre or a weekend away, it will immediately lift your mood.

Ultimately, we need to keep busy. This is particularly pertinent for those of us like ourselves, who no longer have family at home, who are retired and have more free time. This free time can be a blessing or a curse. We must ensure we use it well.

Another holiday anybody?