Part 2: How to beat those post-travel blues
A simple guide on what to do once you return from your adventures…
This is a follow up blog. If you’d like to explore and see some things you can proactively do before you travel follow the link below.
What if you’re already home and feeling a little depressed? Good news, traveler. There are many effective ways to lessen post-vacation blues. Here are some strategies to try.
How to overcome post-vacation letdown once it’s already hit…
Connect with Friends and Family
If your vacation has left you yearning for more meaning in your life, reach out to the people who matter to you. Consider reconnecting with old friends and family members to share a meal or a conversation. You may begin to feel your world re-centering. “Connection is an integral part of our lives, and vacations are often a time of deep connection with those we are visiting or traveling with. Maintaining a sense of connection afterward is important.
“Just be aware that connection might not look the same as it did on your trip. If you notice that you’re feeling disconnected, take a moment to evaluate whether the connection really has decreased, or whether it just looks different in day-to-day reality,” Ott says.
2. Detox
We tend to indulge on vacation: wine, rich foods, decadent desserts. A gentle dietary “detox” might help you feel better physically and mentally. Be sure to drink lots of water if you traveled by air. Plane cabins are known to dehydrate travelers. And if you’re experiencing jet lag, melatonin might help you adjust your sleep rhythms.
3. Document and share your memories
If you’re not ready to come back from vacation, you can prolong the experience by printing, organizing, uploading, and sharing your vacation photos. Consider jotting a few notes or including entries from your travel journal if you kept one. If you have an artistic bent, you can revisit your vacation spot by painting, sculpting, or drawing memorable scenes.
4. Write reviews to help other travelers
While your experiences are fresh in your mind, write reviews in online travel services, leaving tips and cautions that might improve someone else’s vacation. Not only will writing solidify your memories, your advice could boost a local business or prevent someone from making the same mistakes you did.
5. Get outdoors
Studies have shown that most people spend upward of 90 percent of their lives inside buildings. When people spend time in nature, research indicates their moods improve and stress levels drop. They sleep better indicates their moods improve and stress levels drop. And their physical health improves, too. In fact, regular short strolls in nature might have the same calming, restorative effect of a good vacation.
6. Bring the outdoors in
Many of the health benefits of nature reach us through our senses. Researchers have found that people experience therapeutic benefits from seeing, hearing, smelling, and even tasting natural elements.Opening a window to listen to birds or smell cut grass, planting a small herb garden on the back porch, bringing home an armload of tulips, and even using essential oils might lift your spirits and make home feel more inviting.
7. Clean, reorganize, or declutter where you live
If your space feels stressful, cluttered, or in a chronic state of disrepair, it can negatively affect your mood. Changing that space, even in small ways, could improve your state of mind. If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of decluttering, it’s OK to concentrate on one small task. It’s also OK to enlist others in your efforts.
8. Incorporate a new practice
It isn’t uncommon for people to encounter a practice or custom they want to bring home. Discovering other cultures is, after all, one of the reasons people travel. You may decide to keep studying another language. You may want to try a new way of cooking, eating, exercising, gardening, shopping, or dressing. You may decide to live with fewer material possessions. Whatever practices appealed to you during your travels, consider how you can incorporate them into the life you’re living now. (Of course, be sure to do so with respect, and not misappropriate.)
9. Disrupt your routines
One of the benefits of traveling is discovering something unexpected — and home may feel so familiar that it’s begun to bore you. To rekindle the feeling of being a visitor, explore the place where you live as if you were a vacationer. Tour a museum you’ve never visited. Swear off your tried-and-true dining favorites and try something different. Read travel guides for your hometown and see it through new eyes.
10. Follow through on a change you considered while away
Vacations can be thought-provoking and sometimes even life-changing. When we’re out of our usual orbits and routines, we gain perspective. If you found yourself thinking about your purpose, goals, relationships, role in the community, or quality of life, now might be a good time to take some small steps in the direction of the life you want to build. Research has shown that people who want to change are more successful when they follow through with small, goal-directed actions.
11. Practice gratitude and mindfulness
“Vacations are a wonderful opportunity to focus on gratitude and to generate the kind of positive thoughts that can help us shift our feelings and improve our behavior,” Ott says. You can build on the habits of gratitude and mindfulness when you return. As meaningful as it can be to get away from everyday realities, it can be equally powerful to reflect on and appreciate the life you’ve created. Practicing gratitude and mindfulness has been shown to reduce depression and stress, and cultivate a sense of well-being.
12. If post-vacation depression lingers
“We often return from vacation feeling well rested and happy, but it is important to notice if we begin to lose the sense of connection or begin isolating,” Ott says.“While feeling irritable or moody can be normal after the transition from vacation, these feelings should not persist for a prolonged period,” she says. If the post-vacation malaise you’re experiencing doesn’t get better after a few days, you may want to talk to a therapist. “Sometimes a few sessions can help you reset, but you may learn that your feelings are the result of a bigger issue, such as discontent in your work or being overwhelmed by your responsibilities,” Ott points out. A good therapist will be able to craft strategies to help you find your footing.
Once you’re back in the saddle, you can minimize post-holiday sadness by sharing your memories with others, taking care of your health, exploring your hometown, and making changes so your life feels more relaxing and meaningful. If you need help with depression — whether it’s related to a trip or not — reach out to someone you trust. We’re travelers, one and all, and you’re not alone.