5 Routines To Prevent The Appearance Of Post-vacation Syndrome
Post-vacation syndrome is a phenomenon that many people suffer from when they return to work, especially after the summer vacation (the vacation period that is usually the longest).
However, No one is condemned to experience that discomfort no matter what, since there are some strategies and routines to prevent the appearance of this. Let’s see what they are.
What is known as post-vacation syndrome is a set of forms of discomfort that arise when going from the vacation period to returning to the routine at work. It is a series of alterations that occur as a consequence of a lack of readjustment to this new context characterized by tasks other than those of the vacation break and an increase in the obligations and expectations placed on oneself. And for some people, changing their mentality and actions on a daily basis is especially hard, especially when these are “imposed” from outside by the need to meet productivity objectives, contractual requirements, etc. It is not necessary to be an employed person to suffer from post-vacation syndrome; self-employed people can also suffer from it, since they still need to achieve certain professional goals in the short and medium term.
Some of the most common experiences associated with post-vacation syndrome are fatigue, high stress levels, concentration problems, persistent sleepiness (you often yawn even in the middle of the day), general physical discomfort, a feeling of disorientation, and alterations in appetite. Now, not all of these phenomena always occur at the same time.
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that post-vacation syndrome is not a mental disorder and does not seem to be described as such in diagnostic manuals, so there are several ways to define it and determine what its characteristics and effects are. Now, as a broad and flexible concept, it is usually useful to refer to a relatively common problem that in the most extreme cases is a reason to go to a psychologist.
What routines to apply to prevent post-vacation syndrome?
These are the most useful strategies to reduce the chances of post-vacation stress appearing.
1. Readjust schedules
It is very important to make our rest schedules for the last stage of the vacation practically the same as those we will adopt when we return to work. In this way we will not only avoid that feeling of fatigue or even sleepiness that generates insomnia or jet lag, but we will also have more energy at the times of the day when we really need to be fully involved in our obligations. What it is about is re-calibrate our biological clock and, above all, to ensure that our body begins to secrete high amounts of melatonin when we are about to go to sleep.
2. Don’t make the vacation plan last until the last day off
It is recommended that there be a brief period of readjustment to the routine before we really have to face the obligations of the workday. This means that, for example, if you have gone on a trip to another country, you return to the city where you live a couple of days before starting to go to the office, to get used to that context and the stimuli that it offers. those that your home and your municipality exposes to you.
3. Learn some basic relaxation exercises
There are very simple relaxation techniques that you can learn in a matter of minutes and that do not require too much practice. If you want to have extra help, There are some meditation or Mindfulness applications that incorporate recorded instructions and resources to relax quickly, such as white noise, sounds recorded in natural environments, etc.
4. Readjust your leisure activities to your new schedule
In the same way that we must incorporate some dynamics of the work routine to the final stage of the vacation, it is also important that we give continuity to our hobbies and leisure routines during the holidays during those initial days back to work. For example, if during the vacation break you have started painting or doing some artistic activity, make sure in advance that you will be able to combine that hobby with your work obligations, including those free time breaks in your schedule.
5. Eat well
Since you will need to face several additional obligations again that you did not count on during the holidays, it is important that you do not neglect what you eat. Make sure you eat a diet that provides you with all the vitamins and macronutrients that your body requires, because If not, your brain will be one of the main structures in the body that will suffer.
Are you looking for professional psychological support?
If you are going through difficult times and are looking for psychological assistance services, contact me.
My name is Thomas Saint Cecilia and I am a psychologist specialized in the cognitive-behavioral intervention model and I serve in person in Madrid and online by video call, whether serving adults, adolescents or companies.
