Overcoming Post-Travel Depression: Getting Out Of A Rut After Vacation
You rush in, after a long a tiring trip, throw your suitcase onto your bed and slump down onto the floor in utter exhaustion. You reminisce about all the good memories you experienced and the overwhelming feeling of dread hurries over you because you are now back at home, with a huge pile of laundry to do and many tasks to complete. This is how you feel for the next few long weeks or even months ahead.
What is Post- Travel Depression?
Post-travel depression is a real thing, as studies show that a lot of people after a vacation suffer when settling back into their daily routines and that they also show an increase of wanting to change their work and social life routines altogether.
This arises from the common discovery when travelling, that many people often find themselves wanting to change their current lifestyles. They discover new cultures, people and activities it can open up a lot of doors for them. When returning home, it can become daunting to face the same old environment with the same people, activities and routines. It is only natural to want to change, especially after a considerably long trip away.
However, this may not be mistaken by simply missing the wondrous feelings of travel and the places that you discovered on your trip. Rather, post-travel depression refers to those who lack organised routines, and struggle immensely when coming back to their own personal tasks and blending back into their personal lives with common feelings of sadness, depression, burn-out, procrastination and even anxiety and high amounts of stress occur.
Studies from … list how some symptoms of post-travel depression may also include:
Struggles of culture shock
Anxiety / Stress
Procrastination
Lack of motivation
Sadness and Depression
Even so there is still one positive to post travel depression and that is that it is a temporary disorder. There are many ways to handle and even prevent serious symptoms and feelings of post travel depression when you understand there are certain systems, tips and tricks that you can use to maximise your organisation and…. to create a better environment for yourself when returning home from a trip. Read on to find out ways you can avoid post - travel depression.
Overcoming Post - Travel Depression
1# Unpack your suitcase and belongings straight away
After a long exhausting trip, the last thing you need is a mountain of clothes stashed away in the corner, things scattered about your home waiting to be put back into their rightful place and having piles of clutter around, that you don’t even want to look at. Unpacking your belongings straight away, can give you a clearer mindset to be motivated to return to your usual tasks and it also ensures that all of the daunting tasks, that you didn’t even want to think about, are already done and dusted.
It can also give you clarity that the trip you came back from has indeed finished and creates the feeling of excitement to get back into your usual routine. If you struggle with the sadness of accepting that your trip is over, it is easy to procrastinate this first step. However, to tackle this, on your way home you can easily make a checklist of tasks in order that are of a priority for you, down to the less important ones, therefore it can make the process a whole lot easier!
2# Have a good clear / clean out of your current home environment
Clearing and cleaning out your current home environment after an especially long trip away, has many benefits that allows you to slot very easily back into your normal personal routines. The common household saying “a clean space equals an even clearer mind” deems very relevant to this; as we can all agree when your physical space and environment is clean and healthy, so is your mental state.
3# Practice mindfulness & create a memory journal / album
Practicing mindfulness and reflection can be very important after a vacation away. Reflection on what you have experienced, things you’ve seen and people you’ve met can give even more clarity on your current feelings. Identifying your feelings, whether negative or positive about your experiences, is perhaps the most important step of overcoming post- travel depression and also can ease feelings of stress and anxiety. You can question your regrets or mistakes in handling your trip or even your most exciting and amazing memories. When you’ve done this, you can even create a memoir or photo album dedicated to your travels. Print pictures, journal or simply gather your pictures into an album on your phone, then whenever you feel like it yo can look back and reminisce on your amazing adventures.
4# Reach out to friends and family / plan an exciting event
Planning something for when you are home can perhaps take your mind off the negative emotions you have when thinking about your usual routines. Connect with others, friends or family and plan an event together. yo can even share your travel adventures and stories with them, the things you’ve seen or learnt as this will also give you clarity that the trip is over and that its time to get back into normal routines.
5# Get active with daily exercise
Getting a substantial amount of exercise and indulging in your most loved hobbies, interests and other physical activities gives you a sense of love for your usual routines. It can increase your mood and give you more excitement towards your daily life. This can include; working out, playing your favourite sport, taking up a current or new hobby and enjoying your time back into your usual life.
Post -Travel Depression is something that you can easily let take over your life and its a lot more common than you think. It isn’t always easy and as simple as finding things to fix it. If you’re really struggling and the symptoms have surpassed a long duration of time it might be best to seek professional or personal help. However these 5 main tasks have seen to improve and even prevent further post travel depression within further and upcoming trips. Having a clear routine when you get back from an especially long trip is one of the key things to remember, also having the commitment and consistency to keep a routine, is arguably more important.
Read on below for more on how you can find tips and tricks to make your travels a little bit more comfortable.
Also don’t forget to follow our instagram for more !! @ Bloomwithflore
