I’ve just come off my three-week summer holiday. On the Sunday evening before coming back to work, I felt restful. I’d had a nice holiday with plenty of sunshine and fun excursions, and uninterrupted time with the family and my hobbies (in hindsight, I should have postponed my holiday by a week to be able to watch the Olympics all day for this final week. Rainy days well spent in front of the TV). I hadn’t left work in a chaotic situation, and I was fairly certain no unexpected crises would be awaiting for me at 9 a.m. sharp.
That’s not always how you feel when coming back from vacation. On another vacation, I cried miserably at the airport waiting to board the overnight flight. Most colleagues tried to console me when I recounted the teary-eyed end to one of the best vacations I’d ever had: “That’s always how it is!” But it had never been so for me. I’d never come back from a vacation feeling as depleted as I did then. Sure, this particular trip had been amazing in every way: no serious mishaps, good food, no fighting, and the weather was great. It took me some time to pinpoint the issue: for a full week, I hadn’t spoken of work, I hadn’t thought about all the things that dragged me down. Every day had been filled with excitement, and every day had had a purpose, whether to explore ancient ruins or to try the best-rated cocktail place in the country, or simply to read a book my the pool, sipping a sweet drink with a paper umbrella. At the end of each day, I felt like I had experienced something that made me want to try again the next day. And that was not how I had felt in a long time.
A longer holiday can serve several purposes. Ideally, it’s a relaxing period of time after which you’re feeling recharged and happy to come back to work, perhaps even looking forward to applying yourself in your expertise again. Maybe, instead of fretting over getting back to routines, you have found an appreciation for them. Or perhaps the time off helped you find what makes you happy, what drives you, and what you need to change in your non-holiday time to feel happy. There’s 52 weeks in a year. You shouldn’t save happiness for the few weeks that you’re not at work.
There’s 52 weeks in a year. You shouldn’t save happiness for the few weeks that you’re not at work.
Listen to Your Blues
What to do if at the end of your holiday it feels unbearable to return to work? Try analyze your feelings. What specifically causes unease? Are there people who make you feel uncomfortable at work? Does your job involve tasks you find too difficult or morally burdening? Do you know what are the first things you’ll start working on when you start back – is it the uncertainty of returning after a longer pause that makes you fret? Write down these thoughts, or talk to yourself. I find both methods helpful.
If you manage to identify the causes of your anxiety, move to thinking of solutions. Which of these things can you impact or change? And if it’s something you cannot change (like another person), can you change your own approach to it? Are you coming back to work with renewed energy and the desire to continue working where you currently are, or is your battery for trying as empty as it was before you left? Be honest with yourself. Infinite holidays aren’t an option for the majority of us, and if the majority of your weeks are spent simply surviving until the weekend or the next vacation, it may be time for a permanent break from your current job.
Do you experience post-holiday blues? Have you ended up changing jobs after coming back from holiday feeling as uninspired or tired as you were before it?
Sidetracked 