Avoiding The Post-Holiday Blues
There’s no feeling worse than stepping off the plane after a week of pure bliss, only to be smacked in the face with your looming responsibilities, and likely gal-force winds and rain (thank you Great British weather). Those sun-soaked days on the beach drinking margaritas suddenly seem like a distant memory as you come to terms with your over-flowing inbox and life admin. If you’re heading back to work feeling more than a little blue, here’s the fool-proof tips to get you through that first week back…
Plan A Buffer Day
Going straight from the airport to the office is like learning to swim by jumping straight into choppy, open waters. Especially for big city dwellers, it’s going to take a bit of time to adjust from island to urban time. We know it might be tempting to savour your precious annual leave but booking a buffer day will ease the bump back to reality. You’ll actually have time to unpack, do your washing, catch up some sleep and maybe enjoy that new Netflix show you missed too…
Make Plans
Remembering that adult life comes with work, bills and responsibilities other than deciding which beach or bar to hit, it’s unsurprising that you can feel glum after an epic holiday. Which is why you need to make plans to look forward to. Don’t go mad and get overwhelmed, but a simple Thursday night catch up dinner and drinks with pals, or a fun Saturday exploring your hometown will do just the trick.
Get Back To The Best Bits Of Routine
Although holidays are fun, going back to normal life doesn’t have to be so bad! Get back into the things you love – whether that’s eating well, hitting your usual morning workout class or picking back up your favourite hobby. When you’ve had some time off, you’ll appreciate these great parts of your day even more.
Hack Jetlag
One of the biggest factors in post-holiday blues is jet lag. After all, nothing kills that glorious holiday glow more than being too tired to function. Our top tips? Avoid booze and coffee, and no matter how little sleep you got on the plane, resist the urge to sleep until at least a semi-normal time of the day when you get home. Remember, it’ll take a couple of days to adjust to a new time zone, so try to take it easy!
Get Organised
Use some of your buffer day, or time spent waiting around at the airport, to get organised and ease off some of the pressure. Organise your inbox before you get back to the office, or just order a food shop to get delivered, and plan out your agenda for the week. No-one wants to be dealing with 100 unread emails, an overdue bill and a lack of toilet paper at home during your first day back at work.
Don’t Compare
Sometimes it’s best to just unplug. Avoid scrolling through other people’s exciting trips and comparing your normal life to their adventures. Remember, you were that (slightly annoying) person a week ago, posting photos of the beach on a Monday morning whilst everyone else was at their desks!