Anxiety therapist in Sarasota will always tell you that vacations are one of the best ways to refresh and recharge your mind, body, and spirit.
The trouble comes when you return home and suddenly feel like you can’t accomplish anything because you’re just not into it anymore.
This phenomenon occurs because the relaxation your vacation produces bleeds over into your work life, making your work less enjoyable than before you left on vacation.
As you go back to work following your vacation, here are some tips from Dr. Charles Davenport, a licensed anxiety therapist in Sarasota, to help ease back into the swing of things so that your productivity doesn’t go out the window.
Prep before you go on vacation
If you’re leaving for vacation, you can do a few essential things at home before you go. For example, if you have an aquarium or other pets that require your attention daily, ensure your neighbor or another family member is on board with taking care of them while you’re away.
If not, set up automatic feeders and cleanings, so they don’t need human intervention while you’re gone.
Also, remember to leave bills and mail at home. It may seem like your vacation can wait until after reading your latest electric bill, but once you get back home, it will be easy to get back into your usual routine—as long as nothing urgent comes up in your absence.
Return home with a plan
Coming home from a vacation is filled with mixed emotions, says Swapnil Gohil, an anxiety therapist in Sarasota.
It’s time to come back to work and put on your game face, but part of you wants nothing more than to lay back down in that hotel bed.
Instead of letting yourself feel guilty about that, think about how you can incorporate some of your vacation-style relaxations into your daily life when you get back home.
For example, if you liked having all your meals planned out for you while away, take five minutes every morning to plan out what you’ll be eating for dinner that night and schedule any necessary chores.
You might find it’s just enough structure—and mental break—to ease yourself back into your daily routine without feeling like you need another vacation immediately after coming home from one.
Give yourself a buffer before re-entry
You’re human. That means you can expect some post-vacation blues or travel stress, no matter how much fun you had on your trip. The feeling is normal and will likely dissipate in just a few days (but give it up to two weeks for it to pass completely).
But you can do a few things during that time to make sure you feel like yourself again when you finally get back into work mode.
First, schedule a buffer period before jumping back into your usual routine. It doesn’t have to be an entire week—just one or two days of hanging out at home doing whatever you want can help ease you back into life.
Secondly, try not to look at any social media accounts or read news stories about what happened while you were away until after that buffer period.
Finally, set alerts so they don’t pop up on your phone while you’re relaxing at home.
Adjust your mindset
There are those moments when we feel like life is moving too fast. But after vacation, it can be easy to enter catch-up mode and push yourself harder than ever. So take some time before you get back into your routine to plan for any stressors that might come up.
Ask yourself what situations might throw off your routine, and set aside time during your day to deal with them as they happen instead of ignoring them and letting them build up until you have no choice but to handle them later in an emergency.
Let those feelings linger
Once you’re back at work, allow yourself some downtime. Take your lunch hour and indulge in your favorite television show, or stay in on Friday night for date night with your significant other.
Whether you spend your time away from work relaxing by yourself or enjoying friends and family, there are ways to carry over those positive vibes from vacation.
These feelings can help lower stress levels and combat depressive symptoms; they may even have physical benefits such as lower blood pressure.
Don’t be afraid to lean on these benefits of relaxation when returning to your routine, but don’t think you need them all the time! Over-relaxing is not ideal for anyone’s health! Be active!
It’s a great idea to bring a little bit of vacation home with you
To help ease your return, get some small souvenirs of your trip home with you; they’ll serve as a daily reminder of just how good life can be.
Not only will these items serve as constant reminders, but they’ll also come in handy later when you’re trying to get back in touch with that relaxation mindset.
For example, bring an inexpensive beach towel home and give yourself easy access to it during stressful times. It will remind you of everything you left behind and help ground your experience after vacation.
Conclusion
We’ve covered some essential points in today’s post. First, vacations are meant to be fun and relaxing! However, when we spend too much time away from everyday life, we sometimes experience what’s commonly referred to as the relaxation hangover.
It happens when you go on vacation and enjoy yourself tremendously. Then come back home and feel some emptiness or even depression.
You can reduce or eliminate these negative feelings by following simple steps and planning. We’ve outlined several valuable techniques that will enable you to come back home feeling like yourself or even better than before.
Are you suffering from anxiety or depression? Our anxiety therapist in Sarasota will love to help you bring out the best version of yourself.
Perhaps yours has to do with issues in your marriage. Dr. Charles Davenport, a licensed marriage counselor in Sarasota, will be delighted to help you fix your relationship.
Thank you for reading our post. We hope it was helpful, and if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment below. Happy travels!