September. The alarm clock at 6:30 is back to being your worst enemy. Has the morning coffee lost that sweetness she had on the beach and that feeling of absolute freedom that accompanied you as you walked on the shore? Evaporated like the tan that is already fading. If you find yourself in this description, welcome to the club: you are officially victim of the post-Vacation blues, that return syndrome also called “post-vacanza melancholy”.
When the body rebels: what really happens to our body
The transition from flip flops to closed shoes is not only symbolic: our body lives this moment as a real biological shock. During the holidays, the circadian rhythms relax, cortisol – the stress hormone that regulates many functions in our body – lowers, and we finally breathe. But when that damned on Monday morning clock rings again, the internal alarm system reactivates abruptly.
About 15 minutes after stressing, cortisol levels increase systemically and remain high for several hours. This explains why you feel exhausted already at 10 in the morning of the first day of work. Your body is literally fighting an internal chemical battle, trying to adapt to the sudden change of rhythm.
But there is worse. The average levels of cortisol on working days are 60% higher than the rest days, according to studies published on Pubmed Central. The result? An explosive cocktail of symptoms ranging from irritability to the difficulty of concentration, from headache to sleep disorders. And no, it’s not just your impression: your body is really protesting.
The 3 saved moves for a (almost) painless return
Fortunately, we can counteract post-vacanza melancholy by implementing 3 actions with saving power. Let’s see them together.
It is back 2-3 days in advance (and no, it’s not masochism)
I know, it seems counterintuitive. Do you already have a few days of vacation and should I also waste them returning first? Still, returning from holidays 2 or 3 days before the holidays are actually finished will allow you to return to the routine in a more relaxed way and lower post -vacation stress.
Think like a period of decompression. Like the divers that slowly date back to avoid embolism, you too need intermediate stages. Use these days to reorganize the house, shop calmly, perhaps review some friends who remained in the city. Your nervous system will thank you.
I program something pleasant for the first week
The prospect of returning to the desk becomes less traumatic if you know that on Wednesday evening you have that dinner with friends or that public speaking course that you wanted to try for some time. Putting some pleasant commitment that can prove to be a sort of goal is an excellent idea to prevent the return from holidays to think that the next leisure will be very far.
You don’t need to organize who knows what: even just booking that new restaurant or planning a trip out of town on the weekend can make a difference. The important thing is to break the monotony and give the brain something positive to focus on.
Keep at least a holiday habit
The evening walk you did every day? The aperitif on the terrace looking at the sunset? The reading of a book before sleeping instead of compulsive scrolling on social media? Choose a holiday ritual and take it with you in everyday life.
Keeping the hobbies discovered – or found – during the holiday period is a concrete way to tell your brain that normal life can contain moments of pleasure and relaxation. A small bridge between the lost paradise of holidays and daily reality.
The secret is in dosage (as for everything in life)
Remember that return syndrome is temporary. Generally, the symptoms of return stress should return within a couple of weeks to the maximum. If after this period you continue to feel down rope, perhaps it is time to question you more deeply about your working and personal situation.
In the meantime, be kind to yourself. Do not pretend to be 100% of productivity from the first day. Your body and mind need time to get back. And if you just can’t do it, remember that there are only missing … 11 months at the next summer holidays. Come on, it could go worse.
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