Post-holiday stress syndrome can spoil the effects of rest and take away the energy needed to take on new professional challenges. How to return to reality after the holidays and overcome the post-holiday blues? Read on to find out.
Return without disappointment
Regular sleep in the amount in accordance with physiological needs, contact with nature, local and seasonal cuisine, and time spent with loved ones – in this respect, holiday trips can easily be described as the pinnacle of taking care of one’s well-being throughout the year. No wonder that the return to the grey reality disappoints us so much, and the emotions associated with the end of the holiday idyll can turn into post-holiday stress syndrome. See what you can do for yourself and your colleagues to cushion a hard landing after the holidays as effectively as possible.
(Pre)holiday stress
The topic of stress related to a holiday trip is most often associated with the pre-holiday period: before the trip, we want to get all things done, which often generates additional tension, both in private and professional life. According to the 2023 report “Holiday Stress of Poles”, as many as 80% of us feel the so-called reisefieber in the form of nervousness before a trip[1]. However, the stress around the holidays does not end there – a brutal return to reality can effectively cancel out the rest we experienced during the holidays.
In the same report, as many as 54% of respondents admitted that they forgot about holidays just a few days after returning. Although a temporary drop in mood is a completely natural consequence of the end of holiday adventures, it should not turn into a long-term state of tension, low mood or reduced motivation. After all, we go on holiday to recharge our batteries, not to drain them completely.
Hard landing
Holiday trips often resemble finding yourself in a different reality. During the holidays, we have space to live in the moment and be “here and now” with full mindfulness. After being in such a mode for a week, two or three, we often return to a completely different lifestyle overnight. It’s like suddenly going from a slow walk to a grueling sprint. Especially if there is lot to catch up with at work after our absence. A sudden change in the pace of life, combined with the expectations of colleagues or bosses that we will get used to our work duties immediately after returning, is a simple recipe for prolonging the post-holiday blues. Symptoms of the post-holiday blues include, among others:
lowered mood (sadness, depression, lack of enthusiasm),
reduced motivation to act and work,
problems with concentration,
fatigue.
Prevention of post-holiday stress syndrome
According to a study conducted in the United States in 2023 of more than 1,000 full-time employees, the most common problems that occur at work after the holidays are those with:
concentration (40%),
more frequent lateness/absences (30%),
lower overall job satisfaction (29%). [2]
However, they can be avoided by implementing appropriate strategies already at the stage of planning a longer absence. Although at first it may seem that this will add additional responsibilities to the frenzy of holiday preparations, the ultimately proposed activities will significantly affect the comfort of returning to everyday life.
Length of leave
It turns out that even the duration of the holiday rest can affect the intensity of the symptoms of post-holiday blues. According to psychologists, holiday leave should last a minimum of 3 weeks, because the first seven days are the time when our head is still in “work mode”. Only in the next week does the feeling of pleasure from the holiday come, and in the third week we experience the feeling of complete rest and regeneration. Meanwhile, according to the study “Tourist Trips of Poles in 2022 and Plans for 2023” conducted by CBOS, week-long trips were the most popular among Poles.[3]
Return buffer
The issue of returning from holiday is also important here. Returning late in the evening or even at night to go to work immediately the next morning is definitely not one of the most supportive strategies for preventing post-holiday stress syndrome. If you have the opportunity, plan an extra day at home, between returning from holiday and going to work. In addition to extra time for household chores (e.g. unpacking suitcases or doing the laundry), you will allow yourself a gradual return to everyday life, instead of directly jumping from holiday mode to work mode. This aspect should be paid special attention to by people who plan their holidays in a different time zone.
“Closing shift”
The “closing shift” strategy applies to the last few days of work before the start of the leave. On those days, divide your tasks into ones that:
you will be able to close 100% before the holiday,
are not urgent and can safely wait until you return,
require transfer or delegation to colleagues.
Thanks to this division, you will start your holiday with a clean slate, without worrying about the responsibilities accumulating in the work area. By starting this process a few days (or maybe even weeks) before the holidays, you will also gain time to introduce your colleagues to the tasks and projects you will hand over to them while you are away. If possible, as part of your holiday preparations, also plan your first days of work after returning – make an appointment for status meetings on the most important projects right away, book time to meet with the person who will directly stand in for you, and if you have the opportunity, plan your home office on the first days of work.
Return from holiday. And what next?
First of all: don’t get stressed with stress.
In the MultiSport Index 2023 survey, as many as 90% [3] of employees admitted that they felt stress at work, and in a survey conducted by Wirtualna Polska, as many as 49% of 6,500 Poles surveyed admitted that they could not cope with work for a few days after returning from holiday [4]. Such statistics only confirm our belief that it is completely natural to feel stress, especially related to returning to work. Give yourself space to work at 70%, 80% or 90% of your capacity in the first days after returning – there will still be time for 100% and more! If you have the opportunity, talk to your line manager about it – a clear message that larger and more serious projects may not be the best idea in the first days after returning from holiday will allow you to better plan your work, but also that of your colleagues.
Take care of your physical well-being
When you lack mental resources (as a result of sadness, frustration or nostalgia related to returning from a trip), it is worth making up for it with physical resources. Returning from holiday is a particularly important time to pay attention to this aspect. Therefore:
Take care of regular bedtimes and sufficient sleep (optimally 7-9 hours) during the day.
Move! Take 8,000-10,000 steps a day, use “exercise chunks” (i.e. small portions of activity for a few minutes) during the day, and introduce regular workouts into your weekly plan.
Returning from holiday is a great opportunity to focus on wellness: try to incorporate sauna sessions or cold baths into your schedule.
Take care of your diet: eat wholesome meals, full of vegetables and fruit. As part of culinary experiments, you can try to recreate holiday flavors in your kitchen!
Also, don’t forget about regular vitamin D supplementation, which you may lack in the beginning of the autumn season due to reduced exposure to the sun.
Create opportunities to connect with nature: in your free time, go for a walk in the park, take a forest bath or take a trip to the lake to soothe your nervous system and take a break from the stimuli of the modern world.
Resource curve
Although in the first days after returning you may feel a significant drop in energy and the availability of resources necessary to perform your duties effectively, this “low” will turn into a “high” relatively quickly. Research conducted at Washington State University indicates a 60% decrease in employee productivity immediately after returning from holiday compared to the period before the holiday. However, as the days pass, the drop decreases, and only in the third week after returning does productivity increase to 110% – this is when you will feel the effect of “charged batteries” in the form of greater motivation and creativity in your work duties [3].
Rebuilding resources and increasing energy levels is a natural consequence of properly used holiday rest. If the lowered mood after the holiday does not go away and the symptoms of post-holiday stress syndrome persist for weeks, seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist.
References:
