Vacations are really fun and relaxing, and they can really refresh your mind and reduce your stress. Still, many people find that their productivity decreases instead of increasing after returning from a vacation trip. This is because of post vacation blues. When you are leaving for a vacation, you are super excited and happy, but as the end of the vacation starts to approach, you start dreading your return to normal life.
There are many different reasons that contribute to post vacation blues and the feeling of unease after a long trip. Some are physical, while some are psychological. Here are some great ways to overcome post vacation blues and get back to your daily life and be super productive.
Adjust Your Sleep Schedule and Come Back with a Few Days to Spare
One of the major physical reasons people feel the post vacation blues and aren’t able to perform optimally at their jobs or school is jet lag. Jet lag is a problem faced by many travelers, especially by those who have travelled over multiple time zones. Jet lag can disrupt your sleeping schedule and it can reduce your productivity because of the lack of proper sleep.
It usually takes us a couple of days to get used to the new sleep cycle. Most travelers get used to the sleep schedule of the location they are traveling and, when they get back to their home, the jet lag starts to bother them. When they aren’t able to get enough sleep, their productivity diminishes and it gets hard to function normally.
To fix this problem you can start adjusting your sleeping cycle a couple of days before you return home or, if it is possible, you should stick to your normal sleep cycle when you are on vacation.
Returning from your vacation the night before you have to start work or school is not the right move at all. You have to unpack, organize your home, get some rest and prepare yourself mentally for your old routine. To make sure that you are physically in your best state you should return from your vacation with a couple of days to spare. This will allow you to adjust to your normal routine and it will give you enough time to rest properly and prepare for your work.
Frame Your Memories
When you have a lot of fun at your vacation, your normal life can feel a little dull and unexciting. Many travelers say that they have a very sad feeling after they return from a vacation and they are faced by a longing to go back in time. All you have to do is change your perspective. Instead of allowing your memories to make you feel bad, you should let your memories fill you with happiness.
Once you have returned home, you should set aside some time to look through all of your amazing photographs, show your photographs to your friends and family members and remember your trip in a happy way instead of getting sad. You should also choose some amazing photos to post on social media. Find the best of the best pictures and consider framing some of them to place at your desk to put up on the wall. Instead of being sad about the end of your vacation you should be happy that you got the chance to have such an amazing experience in the first place.
Clean Your Home and Unpack Properly to Stimulate Productivity
When you return from an amazing vacation, most likely you don’t feel like working. And if you get straight into your work routine, you won’t be able to be productive. The trick is to ease into it.
- You should return a couple of days before you have to start the workday.
- You should do some small productive tasks around the house to ease into your normal working routine.
- You can start by unpacking and cleaning up your home.
- If you have been on a long road trip, you can get into maintaining your car and getting it back to prime condition.
- You should replace its engine oil and maintain its electronics. If you have been driving for a long while, you should check on the headlights and tail lights of your car as well.
Start Planning Your Next Vacation
It is normal to feel sad about the end of a good and fun time during your vacation, but if you feel like this is affecting your productivity at work, you should start planning for your next vacation. Of course, you can’t leave for another vacation soon after you return from one, but when you start the planning process, you have something to look forward to.
By planning a new vacation, you are thinking about the future instead of dwelling in the past, which is a healthy habit. Use your experiences to figure out which location will be best for your next vacation. Thinking about a new vacation will help you stay happy, and it will motivate you to work harder. You can either stay sad about the end of your vacation or work hard so that you can have another, more amazing vacation. The choice is yours, and it should obviously be the second one.
While post vacation blues are natural, they aren’t going to be a good enough excuse at work. So, take a deep breath, start planning your next vacation on the side and get ready for your first day at work.
