Post-vacation blues, post-holiday blues, vacation/holiday blues or post-travel depression is a type of mood that personsreturninghome from a long trip may experience.
Background
A person may suffer from post vacation blues after returning home or to a normal routine from a long vacation, especially if it was a pleasurable one. The longer a trip lasts, the more intense the post vacation blues may be. This is because after the person returns home, they realize how boring and unsatisfactory their normal lifestyle routine is when compared to the activities they did while on their holiday/vacation. It is easier to overcome/adjust to a normal routine the shorter the trip was. Post vacation blues may result in tiredness, loss of appetite, strong feelings of nostalgia, and in some cases, depression. Jet lag may intensify the post vacation blues. According to an article in The Mirror, 57% of British travellers reported experiencing post-holiday blues.
Treatment
In general, post vacation blues will wear off over time. It usually takes a few days, but in extreme cases the mood can last for several weeks before wearing off. Faster ways of treating post vacation blues are for the person to share their experiences with family and friends, or to look at photos and souvenirs. Some may find comfort in re-living their holiday/vacation experiences; for example, if one really enjoyed jet-skiing during their holiday, they may purchase their very own jet-ski for personal use. Another well known method of curing post vacation blues is to plan or book the next vacation, this offers a distraction and also provides the person something to look forward to.
Monday blues – may be experienced by persons after weekends.
Post-party blues – may be experienced by persons after an enjoyable party or nightlife experience, not to be confused with a hangover, which can have similar psychological effects due to high alcohol intake.
In Japan, a phenomenon known as gogatsu-byou leaves some people feeling depressed a month after they started a new school year or new job, as their expectations were not met.
