You’ve just spent two weeks of pure happiness with your children and your partner. You were on a different schedule, following your every whim. Each day was a new opportunity to plan a fun activity for you guys to enjoy together or to relax by the pool with a nice lemonade to keep you refreshed. You may even have had the chance to go on a trip to the cottage or even discover new corners of the world.
The vacation blues
We wait for our vacation all year long. Indeed, we often tend to rely heavily on our vacation as the time of year when we’ll finally be able to take the time we need to recharge and get together with our family, away from all the distractions of everyday life. So it’s entirely normal to experience some fears and anticipate our return to that routine, which in our opinion is what got us there in the first place!
Attitude is everything
Remember how we told you about having the right vacation attitude this summer? It’s true that the attitude we have towards an event can largely influence how we will handle what’s coming and can help contribute giving you a more positive perception. Maybe you could try to see your return to work or your child starting school in a more positive light and as an opportunity to review your routine so you can try to improve it and reduce any additional stress resulting from it.
Learning from your mistakes
You always used to get up at the very last minute thus resulting in a crazy race in the morning? When we start our day on the wrong foot, we tend to stay in a bad mood all day right? Take the time to evaluate your old routine to see how you could modify it so it works more in your favor.
You might decide to wake up earlier for example, or make your lunches the night before if you were always waiting to do them in the morning in the middle of the chaos of everyone leaving. If you’re having more troubles in the evening, try to see if there is a way you can change the way you do some things that would make your life easier. Prepare some dinners on weekends for nights you don’t feel like cooking, learn to take time for yourself in the evening by reading a good book or taking a relaxing bath before bed. If you go to bed late and think it contributes to your fatigue, it’s the perfect time to start being more consistent with your sleep so that you are better rested and more equipped to start your day.
Ease back into things
Try to not overdo it on your first day back at work. You feel relaxed and motivated to start your new routine, and it’s normal to think you have the energy to do it all. Try to give yourself the time to ease back into things. Slowly increase your activities over a two week period for example. That way, you will maximize your chances of not exhausting yourself quickly or feeling overwhelmed by all your tasks.
Cherish your memories
Your vacation may be over, but you still have your memories! Take advantage of family time to go over your vacation pictures and reminisce about your favorite moments. Why not try making a nice scrapbooking book detailing your adventure which you could then display for easy viewing? These are small ways to keep the memories alive and to make your adventure last even longer. You can even start dreaming for your next vacation and start planning your next family adventure!
