How to handle post vacation blues

So how can you bounce back faster? Stick to some kind of a routine during your holiday or an event.

Anyone who’s enjoyed a vacation or taken a break for a family wedding will probably be familiar with the aftermath. Getting back to work or everyday life is hard – your mood and energy levels are often low, there might even be anxiety. You’ve got a case of the post-vacation or post-party blues, says Zankhana Joshi, psychologist and practitioner of dance movement therapy.

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She says that the adrenaline spike brought on by a break or an event is followed by a natural crash, bringing on the low moments. It’s particularly obvious when your reality is starkly different from the fun times you just had. “Up close, the characteristics of post-vacation blues look similar to a mood or anxiety disorder,” Joshi says. “But unlike clinical cases of depression, this is short lived. It eases out.” How long it lasts isn’t clear as there isn’t enough research done on the subject. But there is usually no long-term effect.

So how can you bounce back faster? Stick to some kind of a routine during your holiday or an event. “Your sleep cycle, eating cycle and your diet is usually disturbed and that adds to the mood crash,” says Joshi. “Continue with your exercise routine, sleep cycle or eating cycle as much as possible.”

Another way out is to add more fun elements to returning routine so there’s something to look forward to as you ease into everyday mode.

Joshi, believes that post-holiday or post-party blues are more commonly felt in the West. India’s family-led culture minimizes the feeling of being left out. So, keep your close ones close.