The end of summer is always synonymous with a return to routine, to work and to end those days of dispersion and relaxation. September has always been considered a really hard month and as a consequence, many experts warn of a series of negative symptoms that can appear in many people that could lead to post-holiday depression.
Although many experts prefer to call it ‘syndrome’ or ‘post-vacation stress’, the truth is that it is a feeling suffered by a good part of the Spaniards who these days return home and start anew with their day-to-day routine and the job.
Main symptoms of post-vacation depression
Feeling down and even a little lethargic these days back to the routine can even be normal. According to many studies, between 25 and 30% of people who return to work these days will feel this post-vacation ‘stress’, and will need a few weeks to adapt to the routine.
The most recognizable symptoms of this sensation are very significant:
-Prolonged tiredness
– Muscle pain
-Sleep disturbances
-Lack of motivation
-Sadness
-Irritability
According to the health psychologist at the San Rafael Hospital in Madrid, Lydia Polo García, in the words of Europa Press, «It is common for tiredness, insomnia, difficulty concentrating or even irascibility to make their presence known during the first days, but while this be temporary there is nothing to worry about . It is normal for the body to rebel against what does not make us feel as good as we were a few days ago.
Likewise, there are people much more likely to suffer from this post-vacation depression these days back to the routine, they just have to be clear that this feeling cannot be established as something habitual beyond a few weeks.
How to avoid it
To prevent this ‘stress’ from invading us when we get home these days we can follow a series of tips that will be useful to make going back to work more bearable:
- Get home a few days early. Going home one day and having to go to work the next day can be counterproductive due to the radical change in habits in recent weeks. It is better if we have a day in between before returning to the routine.
- Realistic goals. A good planning of objectives for when we return to the routine will always be much easier to take our day to day with more force. Start small and not with a strong rhythm or where we left off before going on vacation.
- Regularize the agenda, that the most immediate thing prevails. The organization is the most advisable in these cases. A good organized schedule will make life easier for us when we return to work.
- To have free time. It is essential that we continue to have free time to do the activities that we like the most and that we can disconnect often.
