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Post Vacation Syndrome — How to Make It Easier to Go Back to Your Routine
23 de August de 2022
Before summer comes, we’re full of excitement. We’re eager to start our holidays and thrilled to finish a new course. However, there’s a more cruel side to it. And that’s when we have to put an end to our summertime happiness. September comes, and with it, the end of the holidays and the start of that period that’s so hard to face.
We call it post vacation syndrome and yes… it exists. Almost 40% of workers and students suffer from it every year after their holidays. Fatigue, apathy, sadness or lack of concentration are some of its symptoms.
As odd as it may seem, post vacation depression is a reality. It’s a “logical adaptation reaction that takes place when we move from one routine to another one in a more or less abrupt way”, as psychologists that are specialised in sadness and fatigue explain.
However, on occasions, these ephemeral crises are necessary because they awaken an autonomous attitude in us. Take advantage of that moment as an opportunity for change. These circumstances may be ideal to set new professional challenges or new, exciting and motivating life projects.
Tips to Face the Post Vacation Syndrome
For those who aren’t capable of having the faintest sign of hope, here’s a guide to make it all much easier. In this post, we give you 4 detailed advice to keep the post vacation blues at a safe distance:
1-. Schedule an adaptation period – 3 transition days are advised before the day you have to go back to work. It would be ideal to prepare the return to your work space with a bit of time. The idea is that thinking about adapting helps you immerse yourself in what’s coming in real life.
2-. Always appreciate the positive side – Pay attention and enjoy the moment — classmates or workmates, coffee breaks, holiday stories and, most importantly, the projects that you will tackle in this new course. There are many things to appreciate in this return to the books and obligations. Why would you waste it all?
3-. Establish personal and professional short term goals – Develop healthy habits, like respecting sleeping hours and going back to your normal hours. Exercise and, if you still feel down, find new hobbies or activities. But don’t forget to learn and develop this part of your life. Do you have something in mind? Something that you always wanted to work on? Do you want to specialise yourself in something in particular? It may be a good time to enrol yourself in a course or to make the most of that part of you with which you haven’t experimented yet.
4-. Manage your time and enjoy yourself – What does this mean? That going from 0 to 100 may not be the best way to start your new course. So, make sure to address your duties progressively. And don’t forget to give yourself a break, pay attention to your social life, see your friends and enjoy some leisure time.
A Motivational Plan: The Path to Well-Being
If you want to take that extra step, you can design a motivational plan to help you face this challenge.
Firstly, you must set the goals you want to achieve in a specific period of time; one year is a good starting point. Secondly, establish a series of steps that will help you achieve it. It’s important to divide each goal into mini-goals that are more achievable.
- Rationally plan out the tasks and progressively increase their difficulty.
- Be flexible and generous with times and schedules.
- Try to organise team activities. Working together always makes it more manageable.
- Try to blur the line between what’s strictly work-related and what’s social. Going out for dinner, meetings and plans are also part of returning to the routine.
You’re well aware of the fact that coming back to your routine is inevitable. So stay on top and turn it into a promising start.