Yay, summer’s here!
In spite of your worries about having too much on your plate and not finishing all of your projects at work, you really needed to check out and recharge. So, you decided to take a vacation.
There you were, lying on the beach with a margarita in hand while admiring the beautiful clear skies, feeling the ocean breeze riffling through your hair, and letting your skin soak up all that beautiful sun until you had an amazing new tan that has made everyone around you jealous.
You spent your days reading your favorite book (finally you had the time!), taking naps under a big umbrella, listening to music, and dipping your freshly pedicured toes in that gorgeous warm turquoise sea water. You took many walks on the soft white sand while watching stunning sunsets that turned into starry warm nights.
You indulged in massages and amazing bountiful meals, tried new activities, and had many big laughs with your loved ones or new friends.
The whole time, you felt light, didn’t care what day of the week or time it was, slept so well (like you haven’t done in a long time) and awoke refreshed every day. Even your worries and little pains here and there magically disappeared.
Then you had to come home.
For the first couple of days, you were still feeling high from your trip, but now you are starting to feel anxious about all you have to do, and somewhat dissatisfied with your life.
It feels as if you have been suddenly woken up with a freezing pail of water thrown at your face after the most warm and restful night of sleep.
What can you do to brush off that post-vacation anxiety? Is that even possible?
Actually, it is.
If you don’t want to go back to your pre-vacay anxiety and feelings of dissatisfaction, there is something that you must do:
Change your daily habits.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
If you agree with Mr. Einstein, it’s clear that some things need to change.
It is possible for you to feel lighter and happier, not only when you are on vacation but every single day!
But you have to start doing something different. You have to change your habits, so begin with these:
Be grateful – The easiest way to stay in a good mood after your vacation, is to be grateful for everything you just experienced, plus all the things that helped you to be able to take that amazing vacation.
For example, you might be grateful for: a) your job which helped you save money so that you could take the vacation, b) coworkers who did your job while you were relaxing at the beach, c) having the health to be able to go on these kind of trips, etc.
Avoid thinking of what you wished you had and don’t currently have (for example, you might wish that you didn’t have to work and that you had all the free time to just travel and have fun meeting new exciting places and people), and instead be grateful for all the blessings in your life that you currently have: your job, friends, family, freedom, the comforts of living in a city, the local beauty that surrounds you, your home, bed, pet, etc.
Prioritize wisely – Make a list of all the things you’ve got on your plate and assign them a number 1, 2 or 3 based on their priority level. Then take all #1 items and put them on another list and repeat the process. Once you have identified the projects that you must absolutely do TODAY, focus on each one at a time. Delegate your work or find a partner to share your responsibilities, and avoid trying to multitask, as this depletes your energy and interferes with your ability to finish a task.
“The man who chases two rabbits, catches neither.” ~ Confucius
Take a vacation from being on vacation– You may feel inclined to go back to work non-stop because it is a deeply rooted habit. If you stop working with the same intensity, you might feel guilty for not being responsible enough, afraid that you might fail someone or that you’ll be perceived as not being “good enough”, or you might just want to avoid free time because being busy, though overwhelming, is better than having time to think about all of the things in your life that make you feel miserable.
But taking time for yourself can be relaxing and energizing and may give you little doses of that same relief you got from lounging on the beach. You are even likely to be more productive when you aren’t feeling burnt out.
Plan your next adventure – Having something exciting to look forward to is a big motivator. Even if you can’t take another trip just yet, make plans to do something different or special that will boost your mood.
It could be a day trip to a cool nearby little town, attending a meetup that you’ve always wanted to join, spending a day at the spa, or finally making an appointment with a coach or any other professional that will help you resolve your most tormenting problems.
Now that you are back to reality, it is important to be mindful about practicing these habits so that you can continue to feel as good as you did on your vacation.
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