There’s no way to deny it: coming home from vacation sucks. Bad. Even though the feeling of crawling into your own bed is exquisite, there is something unfavorably jarring about coming back to the real world complete with work, grocery shopping, and updating that old budget board. But there’s hope: we’re here to offer you ways to beat the post-vacation blues.
1. Leave a day in your schedule before returning to work
There is nothing quite as bad as coming home from a trip and knowing that in the morning you are going to wake up in the real world, complete with wrinkled clothes, stale coffee, and your morning commute. Plan to have an extra day between when you get home and when you start back at work to get acclimated to life at home. Unpack, do some laundry, pick your pup up from the boarders, and get caught up on the DVR recordings.
2. Start planning the next one
There is nothing quite like planning your next vacation to get you over mourning the loss of the last one. Make an inspiration board on Pinterest. Order a travel book from Amazon. Check flight costs on Expedia. Even start organizing your photos and order some prints! Remind yourself of the great time you had and start planning to replicate it in the coming months.
3. Get back on your own time zone:
Not only should you sleep in general, but you should also sleep at the right time. Jet lag is a cruel and sadistic mistress who in unrelenting until you force yourself from her grasp. Don’t take the 10 a.m. nap your body is begging for. Instead have some ginseng tea or a Redbull to keep you going until you are within a couple hours of your normal bedtime. It’s the fastest way to reset your internal clock and get over your vacation. Bonus: you’ll feel instantly better when you wake up the next morning.
4. Detox :
Vacations are typically one of the most decadent portions of our year. The scramble to ingest as much local food as possible–like say gelato three times a day while in Italy–paired with the fact that we all throw our typical gym routine by the wayside means, by the time you peel yourself out of that economy set, you will probably be feeling pretty rough. Drink a lot of water and fiber-rich fruits and veggies. Skip anything fatty or fried for your first week back so you can flush out the remnants of your vacation “diet” and start feeling like a normal person again.
Vacations are amazing. Travel is a privilege. While it’s hard to come home and have to deal with the everyday reality, it’s good to remember that routine and the money it brings in is what makes travel possible.
(via Gen Twenty)
