Summer is a busy season for vacations and traveling, but also the season when we tend to get off track with our (healthy) routines and are prone to losing motivation.
Hey, I get it – sometimes you just want to sit outside with a cold white wine spritzer and do nothing but simply enjoy life! Taking such breaks is of course perfectly normal and even essential to maintain a healthy life balance, but what happens if these breaks last too long? How do we transition back to our routines after?
This post is dedicated to everyone who can relate to the graph below👇😉.
Real life example of falling off and getting back on track
This year I was really, really looking forward to my summer vacation. I physically felt how much I need it and if somebody would have told me that it was cancelled, I would have chopped off the messenger’s head.
I think I was literally counting the days and the hours until I could turn on the out-of-office notification. Nothing wrong with my job per se, but I just needed a CHANGE. My vacation was filled with meeting friends and family, eating great food, traveling around, studying and practicing coaching, but also getting pampered. Though my vacation felt great, it was also hectic and tiring at the same time. By the end of it, I was ready to return home. I always see that as a good sign, because that means I’ve had enough from vacationing.
Though, once back at home, I realized that I wasn’t rested at all, and I simply wanted to turn off my phone and sleep for three days. Instead, I had to unpack, do laundry, go grocery shopping, clean, and get ready for work the next day. An extra day off would have been a Godsend at this point (I also mention it below in my suggestions).
The first workday for me was Monday. OMG, I asked myself, am I really a hamster in a corporate wheel, and this is going to be my life for the next 30 years? I started questioning if this was the time to take some risks and make some changes.
Three days later, I had overcome this initial shock of being back at work; however, my mood was still down, and I sensed some sort of hopelessness and sadness.
So, how did I get back on track within a week or two? Here are some tips that have helped me (I did not honor all of them this time though):
- If you can, schedule extra days off in between your return home and first day back at work. The phrase “I need a vacation from vacation” is used so commonly for a reason. We all need some time to unwind and simply do nothing.
- I always try to leave my home in a semi-decent condition when I am gone. Cleaning my apartment right after vacation is not something I would look forward to 🧹.
- Ease into work. I always try to take my first days easy at work after I return. Of course, it all starts with checking your emails and calendars, but I also always try to have some time for human interaction to see what has been happening, etc. I am also trying to get a bigger picture of what I need to do next and not simply jump into working on some very detailed stuff. Most of the time I do put in overtime at work; however, NOT on the first few days back. Have some respect for yourself 😊.
- This advice is similar to the one about cleaning your apartment before vacation, and it’s pretty much same for work: Bring your to-do list to a minimum before you clock out.
- When you are back, start planning your next vacation or at least plan something you can look forward to (perhaps some event or meeting up with friends, whatever you enjoy). Bring some action into your life. I started telling myself that it is up to me what I make out of Monday or Tuesday – they don’t have to be my most hated days of the week. The easiest way around it: plan a nice activity for yourself after work – something to look forward to. (For me, I always had my coaching class or yoga class on Mondays.)
- Be gentle.I knew if I wanted to continue with exercise, a healthy diet, coaching, or writing a blog – I needed some energy. Therefore, I didn’t rush and gave myself two weeks to get back into this rhythm. I personally am typically exhausted after vacations, so I use the first week(s) for relaxation. Then, I start easy by taking walks and after that, yoga classes and the gym follow. The prerequisite for a healthy diet and exercise is that I have the energy for it.
- Just do it– sometimes we just have to do it. No overthinking, no inner dialogues and finding excuses. Once your energy is regained, you can start small, but at least do something! Small steps count!
- Vacation helps you think about what you want from life, what your priorities are, and what are your next steps.Stepping out from your everyday environment really makes it easier to look at your own life from a different perspective. Sometimes it allows us to re-prioritize our goals and thoughts, so if this is the case, I highly suggest you summarize and write down these new ideas and start researching how you could realize them. Figure out your smallest next steps! Making this type of action plan can be really uplifting post-vacation.
I hope this was helpful for some of you. If you have anything to add, please feel free to tell me and other readers about it in the comments!
Light & love,
Liis