Understanding Post-vacation Depression

It is clear that the possibility of having vacations is one of the necessary aspects for professionals and students to enjoy good physical and mental health; Precisely for this reason all employment is subject to regulations by law in this regard. Now, this does not imply that the simple fact of having vacation days only brings us benefits; If certain circumstances arise and we do not know how to manage them emotionally, the vacation period can even give us new reasons to feel discouraged and fatigued.

An example of this is what is known as post-vacation depression, a psychological phenomenon that, although technically it does not develop only during those days without work, is linked to vacations. Let’s see what it consists of.

What do we understand by post-vacation depression?

As its name indicates, post-vacation depression is an alteration based on depressive-type experiences (that is, similar to the symptoms of depression) and that occurs after having been on vacation, starting in the last days of vacation or just upon returning. to the work routine. It is a combination of forms of emotional discomfort that lasts a few days in a row, and at most, a couple of weeks.

Because the degree to which it usually affects people is not very intense and, on the other hand, lasts relatively short, post-vacation depression is currently not considered a psychopathology. In other words, it is not a problem to the same degree as the mood disorders that appear in diagnostic manuals, among which we find clinical depression. Now, that does not mean that it cannot be a significant problem in certain cases or that we should not address the root of that discomfort; and on the other hand, Sometimes it happens that what at first seemed like post-vacation depression ends up leading to a psychological disorder as the weeks go by.

Therefore, it is worth knowing the fundamental characteristics of post-vacation depression; Let’s see them below.

The keys to understanding post-vacation depression

These are the aspects of post-vacation depression that will help you understand the nature of this disorder.

1. Post-vacation depression is based on the rapid change of routines

Although there is no single cause of post-vacation depression, but rather a combination of various variables interacting with each other, one of the most relevant aspects is the sudden change of routines that we carry out. This makes it necessary to quickly adapt again to tasks that we have not even planned; They are linked to our job and are given by the pressures to which the company we work for is subjected or to which our clients subject us.

Thus, on the one hand, we must once again “degrease” certain thought routes that we had not been using during the holidays, and on the other, we must let go of the expectations of leisure and relaxation that we had been maintaining during those days of disconnection.

2. Low mood combines with stress

Although from its name it seems that post-vacation depression only consists of feeling down, in reality it is more like an anxious-depressive condition than a purely clinical depression. That is to say, there is an ambivalence between the lack of motivation and desire to return to the routine, on the one hand, and a state of high nervous activity due to how complicated it is to face the challenges of the work day, on the other.

3. It does not arise from a lack of sleep

Although it is common that when we return from vacation we do not get enough sleep due to the change in time management or even due to jet lag, post-vacation depression It’s not a simple lack of sleep; It has more psychological than physical causes.

4. This is a problem that can be prevented

There are some strategies that help reduce the chances of suffering from post-vacation depression. For example, leave a couple of days of “cushion” between days of travel and leisure activities, on the one hand, and returning to work, on the other, to give ourselves time to readjust to the routine. Or, for example, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule throughout the entire vacation.

5. It can be aggravated by problems at work

It may happen that problems arise in the work context that aggravate a case of post-vacation depression; For example, extra responsibilities that we have to take care of while the rest of the team is still on vacation, or an accumulation of pending tasks that no one has attended to due to poor organization of responsibilities.

Are you looking for professional psychological assistance services?

If you want support in the context of psychotherapy, I invite you to contact me.

My name is Pigeon King Cardona and I am a General Health Psychologist; I can attend to your case both in person and online by video call.