4 ways to beat the post-holiday blues
Everyone knows that feeling when you arrive home from holiday, and the post-holiday blues set in.
Here are the four tactics I employed to try and beat my post-holiday blues.
1. Unpack and get your house in order
Unless you get home very late at night, I fully advocate unpacking the day you get home so you’re not staring at your holiday suitcase/bag for the next week – prolonging the pain! Like ripping off a plaster – some things are best done quickly. Once you’ve unpacked, do a few things to make you feel as if you’ve got your house in order like putting a load of washing on, having a quick clean and tidy up, opening the post and writing a shopping list. This will help you feel as if you’re back on top of things and back to the real world – delaying the inevitable won’t make it any less painful!
2. Cook a nutritious meal
Holidays are often a time to indulge, whether that be with food, booze or both! This holiday we were staying in a cottage so we actually did a lot of cooking (aga saga aside – but that’s another story!) But I did indulge in some prosecco and a few less nutritious foods while we were away – totally justified because it was balanced out with LOTS of walking!I like to rustle up a healthy nutritious meal packed with plant proteins to help boost my mood and keep away those post-holiday blues when I get home. This isn’t always easy because often when you get back from holiday the cupboard is bare but one of my favourite meals is lentil dahl which I can normally make from my store cupboard staples. Or if I’m really organised I make a batch of healthy meals before I go away and keep some in the freezer which makes dinner as easy as a takeaway but far more nutritious. Even if you just make a soup, salad or stir fry, pack in some veg, good protein and healthy complex carbs to refuel you ready to get back to the real-world post-holiday.
3. Plan something fun
Aside from the holiday itself (obviously!), one of the best parts of going away, for me, is the anticipation. Having something to look forward to is an instant happiness booster. But, when you get back from holiday often all you have ahead of you is the mundaneness of everyday life, making it far harder to feel excited and happy to be home. I try to plan something fun for the week we get back from holiday – whether that’s a trip to the cinema, a day-out on the weekend or if it’s been a busy, tiring city break, it can be as simple as a day at home on the sofa watching Netflix! Just having something to look forward to in the diary will make a really positive difference to your mood.
4. Write a list of things you love about home
It’s all too easy to see the problems about our home when we get back from being somewhere different. But rather than dwell on the issues, look to the things you’re grateful for.
So, there you have my simple tips to help beat post-holiday blues. I hope they help you anytime you’re in need of a post-holiday pick-me-up. Is there anything you find helps you transition back to the real world after time away? I’d love to know in the comments below…