It was Thursday around 8pm. Food delivery was just a few minutes away (thank goodness). I'm famished. I'm exhausted - haven't slept in 44 hours at this point. I stuff my face with a burrito bowl, take a half-hearted shower and plop my head on my pillow. Lights out.
Six short hours later I wake up, dazed. It's 3 am. After a few seconds of reorienting, a tear rolls down my face.
I'm no longer on vacation.
Vacation blues hit me hard. And, if I'm being honest, harder after the last few trips. This year, I decided that instead of wallowing, I was going to do something about my vacation blues.
that's really what this post is about.
Without further a-do, here's a quick exercise to get over the vacation blue(s).
Ask yourself the following questions:
1a. What did I love most about vacation?
1b. What was I most excited to come back to?
1c. What did I dread most about coming back?
got your answers? ok, good. let's move on to step 2.
2. Ask yourself the following questions:
2a. What can I do at home to make myself feel more like the answer in 1a?
2b. How can I appreciate the answers in 1b in my every day life?
2c. Which of these factors are in my control? What can I change?
got your answers? ok, good.
need inspo? here's how i answered these questions....
1a. What did I love most about vacation?
The carefree feeling. No responsibilities. Reading outside in the mornings. Minimal internet connection. Out in nature. Hanging with loved ones. Sense of community.
1b. What was I most excited to come back to?
My cat, Booger. My friends. My bed. A hot shower.
1c. What did I dread most about coming back?
The rat race. Always being connected & disconnected at the same time. Poor work life balance.
...and how i used the answers to combat post vacation depression ...
Make plans with friends. This gave me something to look forward to, grounded me in the moment, and brought gratitude to this beautiful life. I have plans for every weekend this month and it's bringing so much light and joy to my heart (Hanging out with loved ones. Sense of community).
Get back into a routine. I'm a creature of routine. If it's not on my calendar, it's not getting done. So getting to my cleaning, business, workout, and just life routine was a huge help!
Get involved in your community. When I travel, I always find myself fascinated by the sense of community that seems to exist elsewhere, but not in the states. But, really...have I even tried to get involved? Not really. So, I signed up for my first Citizen's Climate Lobby seminar. Whoohoo! (Sense of community)
Slow down. Let's get it out of the way - I'm definitely a Type A personality. Growing up, I was scolded for resting, told that laundry is rest. So, yeah. Slowing down came with a steep learning curve. But this vacation of "forced relaxation", if you will, showed me what feeling carefree feels like. I like it. Hopefully this lasts, but since I've been back I'm definitely giving myself more grace for not being 100% productive 100% of the time. (The rat race. Always being connected and disconnected at the same time. The carefree feeling.)
Having coffee outside. Although the parking lot I stare into is a far cry from drinking coffee on a hammock while reading Tanja Hester's Wallet Activism, something about just enjoying a cup of coffee on the patio in the morning hits different (Out in nature. Reading outside in the morning.)
Reminisce. Coming home is sad because it feels like something is over. I decided to remind myself of all the wonderful vacations my husband and I took over the years in the form of holiday tree ornaments off of Etsy. This brought me so much joy and made me so grateful for all the trips we have taken, and all the trips awaiting us in the future.
Vacation blues can be a great time of reflection into what is going well in our lives and what could be improved. Of course, having every-day life feel like a vacation, every day, sounds like a fever dream. And, it kind of is. The point isn't to feel like you're on vacation every day - then what's the point of vacay?!
The point of this post is to take control of the factors in your life that can make life that much more enjoyable, fun, and memorable.
xoxo
Lida
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