How to conquer post holiday blues

When you’ve spent weeks basking under the Mediterranean sun or even living your best life at Disneyworld, it can be hard to get back to reality when your holiday ends. The post holiday blues are a real thing and often have symptoms similar to depression such as lack of motivation, sadness and anxiety about going back to work.

Many people suffer from the post holiday blues, and 100% increase in Google searches for the term is testament to that. To help you look forward and feel more positive after your holiday, make sure you check out these tips.

Book another holiday

One of the best ways to get over the post holiday blues is to book another holiday. By having something to look forward to it will boost your mood and give you something to start planning for.

Whether it’s a cheap trip to Butlins or a two week cruise, your holiday can be anything you want as long as it fits into your budget. You could even plan it over a longer period of time so you have longer to pay it off if necessary. However far away the holiday is, as long as you know it’s coming up it’ll keep you motivated when the days are short and the nights are long.

Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential as it helps your mind and body recharge. It can keep your immune system healthy and starve off tiredness. Getting too little sleep can lead to depression and negative thoughts as you will find it hard to concentrate and be productive in your daily activities.

Eat a nutritious diet

When you’re on holiday you may ditch your usual diet and eat a lot more fatty and processed foods. Whilst these type of foods are fine as a treat, too much of them can upset your brains delicate neurochemistry. A healthier diet can also make you feel better, and fuel your body with the right vitamins and nutrients. By keeping your diet healthy and eating the right foods, it will lead you to feel refreshed and feeling more optimistic about the future.

Avoid alcohol

Whilst alcohol may make you feel good initially, it is a depressant and dependence on it can increase your anxiety. When you’re feeling anxious about getting back to your normal routine, drinking a lot of alcohol will just make you feel worse.

Try to limit your intake if you cannot stop completely, and replace it with non alcoholic adult drinks such as J20 or Shloer. You can still enjoy the taste of your drink and feel good knowing you won’t have a hangover in the morning.

Try something new

When your holidays over you may feel initially your life is all work work work, and this may make you feel fed up and sad. If you can’t afford to book a holiday or short break, you can always look to try something new. It could be as simple as completing a puzzle book, a dance lesson or even taking up crafting. If you’re not sure how to get started YouTube is packed full of instructional videos.

Get back into a exercise routine

When you’re on holiday, your exercise routine often goes out the window. Who wants to exercise when you get to lounge by the swimming pool, eat as much as you can and visit all the fantastic excursions around you.

However when your holidays over it’s important to get back into a exercise routine. Exercising can help release those feel good hormone endorphins which make you feel happier and more motivated.

You don’t need to go out on a 3 mile run every day, you could pop to the gym or even follow a dance class on YouTube at home. If you don’t think you can stay motivated on your own, why not go with a friend to stay accountable.

Connect with your friends and family

They always say a problem shared is a problem halved, and that’s true for the post holiday blues. Connect with friends and family to share your feelings, and you may find they feel exactly the same way. Plan a fun day or evening catching up, you could watch your favourite programmes or even play your favourite board games.

Over time by working on yourself, your post holiday blues will fade, and you will start to feel more positive and happier about your daily routine. If you do start to feel down again make sure you refer back to these tips and work on getting back to your happy place.

Love this post? Please give it a share with your friends and family on Twitter (X), Pinterest and Facebook.