Post-holiday syndrome

Source: roman raizen on Unsplash 

Are you suffering from Post Holiday Syndrome?

If you’ve just got back from holidays and can’t settle into work again, you’re probably suffering from a case of the holiday blues. If it goes on for a few days, you may even have Post Holiday Syndrome.

Psychologists at the University of Granada in Spain have researched this condition, which they describe as a general feeling of discomfort on having to get back to work, with sufferers experiencing symptoms like tiredness, lack of appetite, muscle ache and anxiety.

But never fear — there are ways to get back into a routine and boost your spirits after your break.

Don't go straight back to work

It’s difficult to go from relaxing days by the pool straight into full-on meeting mode. Researchers at the University of Granada suggest building in a period of ‘re-adaptation' between holiday and work .

It is advice that’s shared by John Deely, an occupational psychologist with human resource experts Pinpoint.

“It's generally not a good idea to travel home from your holiday the day before you're due back in work. Try to organise a buffer day.”

Work out what you have to do

No doubt you'll have an inbox crammed full of emails and have dozens of voicemails to return.

But don’t get overwhelmed by the work that’s built up in your absence. If you don’t manage it properly, you will run the risk of undoing all the relaxing effects of your holiday.

“I’d recommend spending half an hour planning out what you have to do before actually getting back into your work,” says Pinpoint’s John Deely.

And don't be shy about letting people know that you’re just back from a break and that you will respond to them in due course, in an organised fashion.

Keep up your exercise habit

Life coach Jackie Fitzpatrick says we should reflect on what we enjoyed about our holidays .

“One thing that often crops up is that we tend to go for lots of walks and we exercise more when we’re away.

“It’s important to incorporate that into our daily life when we get back. Exercise is important because of the endorphins it gives off, so make time for it.”

Have some ‘me time'

We look after ourselves better when we're on holidays— whether it's taking time to eat properly or to read a book we’ve had lined up for ages.

“On holidays, we usually sit down and eat food during the day,” says Jackie.

“People can keep this going when they’re back at work — take a lunch break away from your desk. The company has survived without you for two weeks so it can survive without you during your lunch hour.”

Book your next break

Having another holiday to look forward to can ease the effects of Post Holiday Syndrome.

“If you know that you’re going away in a few weeks’ time it can help keep you motivated,” says John Deely.

Recharge your batteries by switching off from work

One reason why people don’t feel like they’ve had a decent break is that they haven’t actually taken a break!

Think back to your holiday did you check your emails every few hours and find it hard to turn off your mobile phone?

“Companies give people BlackBerries and then their employees feel obliged to keep them on while they’re on holidays,” says Deely.

“There has to be a work-life balance and holidays should be ‘down time’ to relax and unwind,” he adds.

Change your holiday pattern

Researchers advise taking a few shorter holidays rather than a single long one, as this will ease the re-adjustment to work life.

Ideally, you should avoid booking three to four weeks off work in one go.

Instead, it is recommended that you book a couple of separate holidays and spread out breaks during the year.

Cut back on your TV viewing

You've survived for a couple of weeks without the soaps or sport on the box. No doubt you've been more sociable and re-acquainted yourself with the joys of conversation!

Monitor your intake of TV now that you're home again and try to become more like continental Europeans — go out in the evening and talk to friends or neighbours.

Re-evaluate your priorities

Some people like to veg out while on holidays but others take time to figure out what they’re doing in life and what makes them happy. If you’re one of the latter, getting back from a break may bring all these issues into focus.

“If you're coming back to something you really love, you won't have the holiday blues,” says Jackie Fitzpatrick.

“However, if you have these negative feelings for a few days, then you should pay attention to them. Often they are a prompt for change in your life.”

Keep the holiday groove going

Recognise that you’re feeling a little low after your holiday and see if you can bring back a little of the magic.

There are so many cuisines now available in Ireland that you can recreate the food— try a tapas bar, a Greek restaurant or even go for an American burger and fries night out.

Why not even Salsa the night away or see a foreign language film that reminds you of your hols!

Source: independent.ie

Vocabulary:

to settle into work - to feel comfortable with a place - establecerse/adaptarse

the holiday blues (the feeling of depression post hols) -la depresión post vacaciónes

to go on - continuar, seguir

a lack of stg - una falta de algo

to get back into a routine - volver a la rutina

to boost - mejorar, aumentar

spirit (n) ≃ mood - ánimo

full-on - very great or to the greatest degree

a researcher - un investigador

to be due back in work - se le esperan al trabajo

a buffer day - a day between returning from holidays and going back to work  

to work out - solucionar algo

crammed full - attiborado / to cram - apiñar

overwhelmed (adj) (the feeling when stg is too much to cope with) - apabullar, abrumar

to build up - aumentar

in due course - en el momento debido

to keep up - seguir, mantener el ritmo

to crop up (come up) - suceder, surgir

to tend to - tender, soler

to give off - despedir, emitir

to line up - planear

to keep stg going - mantener el ritmo

to look foward to stg -  (algo planeado) desear, esperar con ilusión, tener ganas de algo

to switch off (from work) - desconectar

to unwind - relajarse

rather than (instead of) - en lugar de, más que

to ease - aliviar, aligerar

in one go - de un tirón

instead - en su lugar

to spread out - extender

to cut back on stg - reducir algo

a soap / a soap opera - un telenovela / un culebrón

the box (inf) - la tele

to figure out - resolver, entender

to veg out (inf) - vegetar, relejarse

a prompt - un recordatorio, un aviso


What do you do to make the return to work easier? Do you like any of the above advice?

More Post-Holiday Blues.

Related tweet:


Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Graham! This es Cristina doing some homework. I've read the article. I've found it especially useful the piece of advice about having me-time.
Graham said…
Rodrigo,

Do you know how to say "pincho" in English?

there is one thing that eases my return from holidays. The day before, I play the lottery... It's good to dream of (hope for) a better life!


That's a great idea.

Graham said…
Cristina,

I found your comment; you didn't lose it. For some reason, it came as spam.

Have a look at this post about spam - http://madteachergraham3.blogspot.com.es/2008/01/spam.html


I found the piece of advice about having me-time especially useful. find + object + adjective

Be careful. Don't repeat subjects /object.


How are you getting on with the speech?

Graham said…
Rodrigo,

I suppose "pincho" is some sort of snack - not a full meal. What's the difference between a "pincho" and a "tapa"? Does a "pincho" always come on bread?

I agree that the best tapa is tortilla.
.
Most Brits would understand "tapas". Most towns have a tapas bar - but of course the pincho de tortilla wouldn't be as nice as you have here in Spain.

My former nickname was Pincho Tortilla, which as you know is a kind of tapa, maybe the best one.

What's your nickname now?



Graham said…
Rodrigo,

In other words, you pay for a pincho. If you are lucky, a tapa is free.


A tapa is a smaller portion than a pincho. You usually order a pincho at noon, and *it is almost enough to have lunch. I like to have one with a beer, but there are people who prefer coffee.


A pincho with a cup of coffee???? Yuk! That'll be the guiris relaxing in Pza Mayor.

* Cristina doubles a subject; you miss it out. LOL


I'm not a fan of the Scorpions (though I don't really know them). I can't listen to the song "Wind of Change".

See you tomorrow

Don't forget to look through Twitter and reply to three of them.
Anonymous said…
Hi Graham!
This is Cristina. I'm glad my last post wasn't lost. I was worried about being too clumsy with new technologies. My speech is almost done, but I'm afraid it's not so funny as Rodrigo's one. I've read the post about spam too. I had no idea spam was originally the trademark of a canned meat mixture.

See you tomorrow.
Graham said…
Cristina,

Believe me, I am clumsier than you (and not just with regard to new technologies).
Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,



Yes, I suffer the Post Holiday Syndrome after holiday summer. My suffering lasts one week. I “resurrect” after one week and always it´s the same. I don´t know why I am sad during the first week of working. When I begin to work (after one week), I don´t remember already about my last holiday. My concentration is high and I don´t understand his reason. I must be a weirdo.



Building a period of re-adaptation, as researches at the University of Granada said, with due respect, is a nonsense because if I need more time of holiday, how am I going to throw some days to re-adaptation between holiday and work? I can´t. They said that it wasn´t a good idea to travel home from your holiday the day before you´re due back in work. If they knew that sometimes I wake up in my village and, after one hour, I am working, they would change their thoughts.



There are a lot of people who are working in Madrid and they and their family are on holiday around my village. They came to Madrid every day morning and they return everyday evening.



I agree that it is a good recommendation to book a couple of separate holidays and spread out breaks during the year. I hope to take holiday three or more times during this year.



See you.
Graham said…
Good evening José,

I don't think it's a good idea to return straight to work after a holiday. You need a day or two to get used to being back home. It's a shock to the system . In my case, I will likely have missed my connecting flight.


Yes, I suffer from Post Holiday Syndrome after my summer holiday. My suffering lasts one week. I “resurrect” after one week and it´s always the same. I don´t know why I am sad during the first week . When I begin to work (after one week), I have already forgotten about my last holiday. My concentration is high and I don´t understand why. I must be a weirdo.

Building a period of re-adaptation, as researchers at the University of Granada said, with due respect, is nonsense because if I need more time on holiday, how am I going to have some days to re-adapt between holiday and work? I can´t. They said that it wasn´t a good idea to travel home from your holiday the day before you´re due back in work. If they knew that sometimes I wake up in my village and, one hour later I am working, they would change their thoughts.

There are a lot of people who are working in Madrid and they and their family are on holiday around my village. They come to Madrid every morning and they return every evening.

I agree that it is a good recommendation to book a couple of separate holidays and spread out breaks during the year. I hope to take a holiday three or more times this year.