2023-09-01 09:16:14
We usually associate the vacation period and summer with feelings of freedom, happiness, pleasure, free time and lack of obligations. Later, when we return from vacation and resume work and/or studies, we suddenly find ourselves with the opposite: commitments, schedules, routines, negotiations, ‘early mornings’ and a lot of effort and haste.
That is why many people suffer from post-vacation syndrome which, as explained by the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), is an adaptation process that generates discomfort and occurs when coming into contact with active life again, and in which weakness can be experienced , asthenia, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, lack of procrastination, boredom and even anguish.
A good mood is essential not only to lead a healthy lifestyle, but also —and due to its influence on eating habits and self-control— it is also essential to keep excess body weight at bay, according to the psychologist María González, from the European Medical Institute of Obesity, IMEO.
Less obligation and more illusion
“Less obligation and more illusion in the day to day. That is the attitude that we should adopt after returning from the holidays, avoiding going from one extreme to another”, emphasizes González.
He explains that we often make “the mistake of focusing all our illusions and rest expectations on vacation days.”
“This means that throughout the rest of the year the small illusions that day to day can offer us go unnoticed and that we do not reserve time within our daily routine to dedicate it to rest,” he points out.
María González admits that “planning vacations is a positive resource for motivating ourselves in the weeks leading up to that stage,” but recommends that “we be cautious when projecting all our positive expectations on these days, since they are surely very pleasant, but They will not be exempt from stressful moments”.
“Planning our routine to return from vacation with the same enthusiasm with which we devised the summer trip, without forgetting to include leisure activities and rest periods during the week, can help us a lot to combat post-vacation syndrome,” recommends the psychologist.
This attitude and planning will contribute to the fact that throughout the year, we do not arrive psychologically exhausted on vacation or get depressed when we return to our routines, he assures.
Live every day with enthusiasm and not just the holidays. Photo Institute IMEO
Back from vacation: Less excuses and more planned action
The IMEO psychologist also recommends forgetting about the excuse “I don’t have time”, whether to cook or go to the gym, as it tends to become a “universal response to the lack of organization and expertise that dominates us”.
“At certain times we can say that we lack time, but that should be the exception and not the rule,” he says.
Today it is common for us to feel that we “lack time” in our lives or that things are moving too fast during our day, according to this expert.
He explains that these sensations are usually related to the oversaturation of tasks on our agenda or due to an unrealistic perception of time, in which we do not take into account the lapses we need to move from one place to another or to deal with unforeseen events that may arise, he adds.
Added to this is the temptation to use digital technologies and social networks to disconnect from those tasks that are most difficult for us to do and postpone over and over again those actions that we know can help us in our goals but that we are not yet used to. perform, expose
The key to defusing excuses and the habit of “leaving things for tomorrow” is to take action instead of continuing to think about what “we have to do.”
This psychologist recommends allocating a specific time each day to plan pending tasks, scheduling the ones “that make us laziest” for the beginning of the day, and those with which we enjoy the most for the final part of the day, when our strength and motivation they are more depleted.
Extra hours at home: more stress, less rest. Photo Institute IMEO
Less extra work and more rest at home
This specialist advises against “taking work to bed, or working at home while we take care of the children, who usually follow a vacation time after their parents have returned to work, since these habits increase stress, and with it the appetite, anxiety and the tendency to eat quickly.
It is also not advisable to work at night, because it activates the mind and takes away hours of sleep, he says.
“Different studies indicate that a high percentage of the adult population suffers from insomnia and has the feeling that they do not rest well. This negatively affects our mental and physical health, generating more levels of anxiety and stress, alterations in our metabolism and hormonal health ”, he analyzes.
For this psychologist, it is essential to give priority to maintaining good sleep hygiene, after returning from vacation.
To sleep and rest better, avoid consuming exciting substances late in the evening, as well as disconnect from work at least three hours before going to bed and stop viewing digital screens half an hour before closing your eyes. , proposes.
He also recommends dedicating the final time of the day to “activities that help our central nervous system, such as taking a walk, practicing meditation, reading or taking a warm shower.”
Eating while looking at a screen, a harmful habit. Photo Institute IMEO
Back from vacation: Less screens and more attention to the moment
“Using screens not only in the living room, but also turning them on in the bedroom, to watch movies until very late or eat in front of the television, is harmful in many ways,” according to the psychologist at the IMEO.
“When we eat while looking at a screen on, we tend to lose consciousness of the present moment, we change the speed at which we eat (which tends to accelerate) and also the amount of food we eat, often without savoring or chewing it properly, because our Tension is centered on what we see on the screen”, he points out.
For this reason, the Institute recommends reserving fifteen minutes to become aware of food, being able to hold a conversation or listen to an auditory stimulus in the background, but avoiding exposing ourselves to an exciting element, such as a movie or series that motivates us a lot, since then we don’t We will be aware of our diet, and may experience various digestive discomforts as a result, concludes María González.
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