6 Strategies to Avoid Post-Vacation Stress

Post-vacation stress is a psychological alteration that, although it does not become a mental disorder described in diagnostic manuals, generates significant discomfort. This affects some people who usually have problems getting used to the new rhythms of life after the holidays and during the return to day-to-day work. It can affect people who present it to a greater or lesser extent for a period ranging from a couple of days to two weeks, and is accompanied by a series of symptoms associated with anxiety and concentration problems.

Now, no one is doomed to suffer from post-vacation stress every time they return from those days of disconnection; There are some strategies that help prevent and avoid it . Here we will see the most important.

How to avoid post-holiday stress?

Although each person is unique, you can use these strategies to reduce the chances of post-holiday stress creeping into your life when you return to work.

1. Organize time

Keeping an organized day-to-day is one of the first measures we can take to overcome vacation stress once we have resumed work activities and the daily routine of our work.

By establishing weekly and daily schedules, both personal and for our children, we will be able to know at all times what activity or responsibility we must attend to and we will leave fewer hours to improvise in which stress can overtake us. In this way, we will find ourselves with fewer occasions in which the doubts about deciding what to do next paralyze us.

Prevent post-holiday stress

This organization can be carried out through agendas and diaries in which we write down all the obligations that we must face or through electronic devices in which we assign each important activity daily.

2. Set aside time to rest

Reserving some daily breaks to rest a little in the first days of returning to work can also help us acclimatize in this new period and facilitate a good physical and psychological state during this transition.

This means that in addition to carrying out daily work obligations, we should leave some time to relax and have fun during the day, either alone or with friends, and make us feel better. This also implies getting up from the seat where we have been working, to rest our eyes and restore our ability to concentrate on work.

Part of these hours or minutes for ourselves can be reserved just at the end of the day, when we feel more tired and we can spend it watching a movie or series or doing sports or any other pleasant activity, but it is important that the other part of these breaks are integrated into the work schedule, to "air" our day. Furthermore, they must be frequent ; make sure to rest for at least five minutes every 45 minutes.

3. Adapt holiday schedules to the new paradigm in advance

It is advisable to get the body used to the working hours of the working months a little before returning from vacation, approximately two days before the end of that period.

This prior preparation serves to get us used to the usual schedules for the rest of the year and consists of going to bed and waking up progressively earlier, as well as having meals also at a time more similar to what we can in practice in the work or academic period. .

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4. Play sports regularly

Physical activity is essential to maintain proper physical and psychological health, which is why it is so important to continue doing sports during the summer holidays and during the return, that is, at the beginning of the return to work.

Exercising intensely will help us stay in shape and will allow us to release endorphins , which help us feel better and prevent the stress that may arise after the summer holidays.

This exercise can be done in many ways, the most common are running, taking long walks in the afternoon in the cooler hours, signing up for tournaments or sports competitions, hiking, cycling or climbing.

5. Get used to work progressively

In addition to everything mentioned above, to overcome or avoid post-vacation stress, it is also necessary to take a series of organizational measures just at the moment in which we return to our daily obligations.

These measures may consist of assuming obligations gradually , starting with the simplest and then with the most difficult, not taking work home or starting work from the first day with a positive and motivating attitude.

6. If nothing seems to work, go to the psychologist

Requesting the services of a psychology professional can also help us develop anxiety management skills necessary to relate well to work and overcome post-holiday stress or prevent its appearance.