Post-vacation blues is a mood that affects most people occasionally. This happens especially after a long holiday. Post-vacation blues wear off with time but can last for weeks in some cases. This affects our daily activities and work programmes.
Dealing with post-vacation blues requires effort and dedication. Here are some tips that are helpful in getting over the mood.
Eat healthy
During vacation, you are free to enjoy different meals. However, you should resume your planned diet after vacation. During the first few days of work, a nice dinner and light breakfast is encouraged. The dinner helps you adjust to the normal routine while the breakfast gets you ready for work. A fruit bowl at work increases your productivity too.
Adjust your sleep schedule
Your sleeping hours may have not been regulated during vacation. This contributes to the reluctance in resuming normal activities. Once you are back from vacation, focus on readjusting to your sleep schedule. Try sleeping some hours earlier for the first few days. Slowly work your way back to your normal sleep schedule.
Make time for relaxation
Relaxation boosts your mood and makes you more productive. A hot bath in the evening and short breaks at work are some tricks to help you relax. Brief hangouts in the evening help to wean off post-vacation blues too. Taking lunch breaks also helps to overcome post-vacation blues at work.
Put the trip behind you
Post-vacation blues are harder to overcome if the trip was a pleasant one. The memories linger in our mind and we are driven to dwell on that. You stand a better chance to overcome the mood if you put the trip behind you. Find something engaging and keep busy. Work on old tasks you couldn’t finish before embarking on the vacation. Discussing the trip with co-workers also helps.
Prioritize your tasks using a to-do list
Post-vacation blues makes you lazy when you have a lot to do. For increased productivity, do not rush to finish all your tasks. Create a to-do list and arrange the tasks in order of importance. Start with the important tasks and work at your own pace. When you focus on that, you get more tasks done without being overworked. You also pick up the pace and slowly adjust to your normal routine.
Try Some Natural Light Therapy
Natural Light therapy helps to ease off jet lag and post-vacation blues. It is recommended especially if you saw limited amounts of sunlight during vacation. When your body adjusts to natural light, your spirits are lifted. A prescribed medication like melatonin can be taken too to enhance sleep at night. A good night’s sleep improves your mood and the effects of natural light therapy.
Conclusion
It is normal to feel moody after a vacation. Post-vacation blues reduces our productivity and makes us irritable. However, the mood wears off within days or a few weeks. Embrace it, focus on overcoming it, and give it time. Talk to your therapist if it lingers for more than a month.
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