Hours away from our ‘only holiday of the year’ and besides all of the packing mess and to-do lists, something’s lurking at the back of my mind. Just lightly floating, not exactly burdening but making enough circles to make its presence known.
2 years ago, we had a wonderful and pretty much perfect only-holiday-of-the-year. Husband and I then had a big fight after we came home. Maybe it was the inability to deal with that fact that we were now back to reality (it was a much reluctant goodbye to sunny tropical beaches, live bands, late night hanging out at 24 hours Starbucks, days of no nappies etc.).
That and the stories of other ladies about how at the end of their holidays, they were in grumpy moods and had enough of their partners/kids. I call it the post-holiday blues.
Pretty ironic since holidays are meant to refresh and excite. I believe holidays can be great fun but it can be even better if that sense of refreshment and excitement can last past the actual holiday and not fade off into the post-holiday blues.
photo credit: hey mr glen // cc
After a long holiday, the journey back to reality can be an extremely steep and even treacherous one to navigate. Neither my husband nor I are usually in a good mood the first few days. Time seems to drag on, my husband usually has to go back to work immediately and I have to deal with the silence and loneliness of countrylife again while missing family terribly. The kids cry and say they miss their Nan and Pop. That first week back is usually slow, sad with a lot of walking on eggshells and moping around until we find our momentum to carry on once again.
It’s ok. It’s good. To be conscious and aware.
So this time, I have put a little more thought into it. Like Dr Patel says in Silver Linings Playbook (Man I love that show). “You have to have a strategy!”
Easing back into it slowly…
- After having missed school while we’re on holiday, we usually send the kid(s) back right away. Not the best idea now that I think of it. They are usually jet lagged, tired and just miserable the first couple of days back so this time, I will be more relaxed about it and focus on their well being to see how they’re adjusting. If needed, they can miss the first couple of days while they readjust.
- We usually try to dive head-first back into our pre-holiday routine. We try not to eat out much because we rationalize that we have already enjoyed eating out all the time on holiday. Yet having to cook daily again plus having to work and unpack a month’s worth of mess and clothes can be extremely stressful. This time, we will have a bit more grace for ourselves. If we feel like it, we will allow ourselves the convenience and pleasure of eating out for a bit at least during the first week back while we readjust. That will ease some of the stress for us.
- One of the hardest parts post-holiday is the isolation we feel. We sit at the dinner table and say to each other “It’s so quiet here.” Indeed, the silence can be unbearable especially after a month of being social butterflies basking in the endless company of family and friends whom we haven’t seen for a while. Because of our constant moving around in the last few years, we don’t really have friends here. The couple of friends we have are on shift work schedules which usually mean it’s difficult to find common free days. I think we should make an effort to visit a friend or invite a neighbour over when we come back and keep that little bit of social life going. Afterall, we are chatty, outgoing people and having a little bit of a social life does help.
Having a plan is not guaranteed prevention but I do believe in taking conscious steps.
Hopefully, this time round, we’ll deal with coming back home a little better.
And now, back to the final rounds of packing in the last few hours…
