5 ways to deal with the post-holiday blues

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(CNN) — After two years of a pandemic, ever-changing travel restrictions and mandatory Covid-19 testing, flagged holidays should finally be back in vogue in the summer of 2022.

With most Covid-19 restrictions lifted, vacation planning became easier and many trips previously postponed for pandemic reasons could finally take place. But in practice, flight cancellations, staff shortages and general travel chaos have robbed many travelers of their long-awaited stress-free bliss. And for those lucky enough to have made a smooth escape, the return to reality hits even harder than usual.

Whatever your holiday story, here are five tips from the experts to help you deal with a case of post-holiday blues.

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1. Plan a buffer for when you come back

We often overload ourselves with a long list of household chores as soon as we get home or go to work at lightning speed, which emphasizes the contrast between vacation and reality. Instead, if possible, take a day to transition before returning to work and minimize household chores by doing what you can before you leave, advises dr. Andrea Boniorlicensed clinical psychologist and author of “Detox your mind.”

“I often see people having a really hard time with the post-holiday blues when it’s like whiplash — so last night I was at a beach and now I’m at the office — try to plan a buffer day instead if possible so that you can exhale and have some time to adjust again,” she says.

“Give yourself a little self-compassion,” adds: dr. Laurie Santosprofessor of psychology at Yale University and numerous The Happiness Lab podcast. “You don’t have to answer all emails right away. It’s okay to get back into the grind, and the evidence suggests people will be more understanding than you predict.”

2. Try to maintain a holiday mindset

“Remember, ending the vacation doesn’t mean the fun ends,” Santos says. “We can find ways to get a little more of that travel feeling if we continue that tourist mindset in home life. Maybe try a new restaurant or take a walk through a new neighborhood.”

dr. Tracy Thomasa psychologist and emotional scientist, says it’s important to identify what it is that makes you feel good when you’re away or in your “vacation mentality” and try to make it part of your everyday reality.

“It’s fascinating that what people do on vacation they won’t do at home – if you’re getting a massage when you’re away, waking up to see the sunrise, or walking through a city, try doing some of that when you get home.” coming.”

Thomas also suggests preparing some of the dishes you enjoyed while you were away to keep the experience going. “If I go to Italy and eat pasta pomodoro, probably for a good month after that when I get home, I’ll keep making or ordering it instead of letting that process fade.”

3. Practice Gratitude

“Take the time to recall your positive travel memories,” Santos advises. You could make an album, make a journal, or just remind yourself of all the good experiences you could have had if you were lucky enough to get away.

“You may have heard the advice that you should invest in experiences and not things. It turns out that one of the reasons this is the case is that experiences bring better memories than our material purchases — we can get a boost of happiness, not just by experiencing a vacation, but by remembering it,” Santos adds.

Don’t just try to be thankful for what you had, try to practice gratitude in your daily life, says Bonior, explaining that while gratitude is good for us, many people misunderstand what it means.

“People tend to think that gratitude means counting your blessings before everything, that you can’t be angry about anything, someone else has it worse than you, so you should be grateful, but gratitude really means against everything leaning — are able to be really engaged and acknowledge that we’re lucky, but also not be afraid to acknowledge the dark spots.”

“True gratitude doesn’t mean always being happy and feeling blessed, it means realizing that the whole experience of life is something amazing and I’m here for this,” she adds.

4. Exercise

Numerous scientific studies have shown that moderate to strong aerobic exercise is good for fighting anxiety and depression. In reality, a study published in April in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, showed that adults who did activities equivalent to 1.25 hours of brisk walking per week had an 18% lower risk of depression compared with those who did not exercise.

“Exercising doesn’t mean you won’t be depressed, but it does help reduce it,” says Bonior, adding that exercise doesn’t have to be intense or look a certain way — even a walk can be a boost for your physical and mental health or dancing in your room, she explains.

Plus, exercise is well known to improve sleep, lower blood pressure, reduce stress and improve your mood — so while you may feel like wandering around the house after the holidays, it’s a good idea to force yourself into a mood-boosting one. impulse.

5. Acknowledge your feelings

Talk to others about how you’re feeling, feel sorry for other travelers, or write a journal — it’s important to keep in touch with friends and loved ones and not withdraw.

“The research shows that if we can just express that we have a certain emotion, that emotion feels less scary, so we have more control. It also helps us avoid black-and-white thinking,” says Bonior, explaining that we can having multiple emotions at the same time, such as being sad but excited.

Of course, if you feel an overwhelming sense of dread about your routine or your job, it could indicate a need for change or a re-evaluation of where you want to be. If symptoms persist or get worse, you may also want to seek professional help to address other underlying causes.

“If your vacation didn’t go so well, you can get a boost of happiness here by trying to figure out what you’ve learned,” Santos says. “Keeping a journal about what went wrong in an expressive way can help you find out what insights you’ve gained or how you’ve grown. At the very least, even the worst vacations can turn into funny stories we share with friends for a while. can share. boost of social connection.”

Top photo credit: ALBERTO L. POMARES G./iStockphoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto

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