Leaving the post vacation depression zone

Like me, you’ve been on this road before, no doubt.

It’s the road home after you’ve been on a vacation, or weekend get-a-way, or retreat. And as that idyllic place---the lake, beach, cabin in the woods, or hotel---begins slowly to recede in your rear view mirror, you want to screech your breaks to a halt, turn around, and somehow grab your vacation spot and take it with you.  You have this sinking feeling that you should have planned just one more day and that it’s not time to go back to the daily grind in the old familiar place, no, not just yet, please.

 Like the drowsy person hitting the snooze alarm, you want just a little more time.

You want to stay.

But you know you can’t.

Did you miss the road sign on your way out?

 BEWARE: PASSING INTO POST VACATION DEPRESSION ZONE.

We’ve all been there. It’s characterized by that dark feeling of dread upon returning to the routine.  And you feel a tinge of guilt because you’ve so enjoyed your time away that you should want to come back. And you do.

But then again, you don’t.

When our oldest daughter, now 24, was only 2 years old, we went to Destin, Florida for a vacation. As we pulled into our carport, I turned around to wake her and get her out of her car seat. Thinking she would be glad to be home, I cheerily said, “We’re home.”

I was surprised when she sleepily looked around, realized where she was, and then angrily kicked her legs and cried, “I want my bacation!”

You don’t have to be an adult to enter the post vacation depression zone.

The first step out of it is admitting you are there. You probably aren’t clinically depressed, just tired and longing for more time away. It’s normal to pass into this zone; you just don’t want to stay there.

Lori and I hadn’t been able to celebrate our anniversary in several years, so this year we spent a couple of days at a resort. As I was in the elevator on our way to check out, the gentleman standing next to me was talking about how he had taken Monday off so he could enjoy a third day there. “A third day,” I thought, “that’s what we need. Why didn’t I…?”

I was primed for the post vacation depression zone.

So, Lori and I talked about it on the way home. It helps to admit how you are feeling.

Another thing that quickens the passage through the post vacation depression zone is to review what you most enjoyed. For years I’ve done that with our kids. “Tell me your favorite moment,” I would say. And each of us would share. Doing so allows you to claim the good about the vacation and bring it into your present journey.

Sometimes thinking about what you liked most can teach you what you should try and change about your current lifestyle. Did you feel better because you were more rested?  Was it having more time to talk, exercise, or read that you liked most? Think about ways you could incorporate the best of your vacation into a new routine. Being proactive can actually lift your spirit.

I’ve found it’s best if I can have what I call a “buffer day” between the vacation and the return to work so that on that drive home, I’m not thinking about having to unpack and get ready for work the very next day. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible. I recall the time I came back from vacation and immediately had to minister to a couple whose son had been murdered the night before. This year, I returned home from a week away late on a Thursday night to find I was needed at two funerals the next two days. If emergencies happen, they happen, but at least try and plan for a day to ease back before being thrown into the fray.

One last thing, and this is essential for passing through the post vacation depression zone. Remember to promise yourself you’ll return for another time away. This last healthy action will surely release you from the zone’s grip, for after all, we need something pleasant to look forward to because we deserve and want our “bacation.”