According to the “Holiday stress of Poles 2023” report, more than half of Poles (54%) admit that they forget about holidays a few days later. A full mailbox and a long list of tasks with short deadlines – this is what the post-holiday reality of employees often looks like. When we add ineffective rest during days off, we have a ready recipe for post-holiday blues. What is it and how can we prevent it?
Post-holiday blues is also known as post-holiday spleen or post-holiday syndrome. Although some call it post-holiday depression, it should be made clear that in this case it is not synonymous with the disease.
– Post-holiday blues is a stress syndrome manifested by a significant drop in energy, irritability, feeling sad, difficulty concentrating, and even gastric problems. It usually lasts from three to seven days after returning from holiday. Although this state is something natural and often goes away on its own, post-holiday adaptation to professional duties is difficult and it is worth supporting the process itself with a few good practices – emphasises Agata Brama, nutritionist and Benefit Systems wellbeing expert.
Although the post-holiday blues passes with the gradual return to work, it should not be underestimated. The persistent state of irritability resulting from returning from holiday can strongly affect our duties.
8 tips from wellbeing experts
What to do to minimise symptoms or even avoid post-holiday blues altogether? Here are eight tips prepared by Benefit Systems wellbeing experts: Piotr Czyżewski and Agata Brama.
1. Make a plan
First of all, it is worth planning how long we are going to leave for. According to psychologists, holiday should last at least three weeks. The first week is the time when our head is still in the work mode. In the next week we have a feeling of pleasure from having time off, and in the third week we become fully rested and regenerated.[1] Meanwhile, according to the “Tourist trips of Poles in 2022 and plans for 2023” survey conducted by the Public Opinion Research Centre (CBOS), weekly trips were the most popular among Poles. Therefore, it is worth considering extending our leave, for example by combining days off with national holidays.
2. Include recovery time
In the context of planning, it is extremely important to take into consideration the time between holidays and return to work. Although there is a temptation to use the maximum number of days for the long-awaited trip, it is worth shortening it by one or two days. In this way we give the body a signal to change the lifestyle again. We can spend this time to sleep off the journey, unpack our suitcases and, above all, relax at home.
3. Start your holiday with a clean slate
Experts agree that to start your holiday well, it is extremely important to complete all tasks before leaving or delegate those for which there was not enough time. This will translate into a more efficient transition to holiday mode, which will undoubtedly affect the quality of rest. In addition, leaving the workplace with a sense of duty done will prevent us from feeling depressed when we return.
4. Keep it tidy
This point is crucial in the context of preventing post-holiday stress. Prevention means minimising the factors that may affect the feeling of being overwhelmed after returning from holiday. Tidying up your home before departure means that one item is checked off the list of post-holiday duties.
5. Do a digital detox
According to the “Online or offline? How do Poles spend their holidays?” survey up to 69% of Poles check their work email and 63% answer business calls while on holiday. Shockingly, only 1% of the respondents declare that they remain offline during their holiday and do not use a phone or laptop.[1] According to NordVPN, Poles spend almost 51 hours a week on the Internet, which is more than two days. In total, this gives 110 days a year and about 23 years of life.[2] A good solution may be a digital detox, which is a break from digital stimuli. During our holiday, it’s worth setting up automatic notifications on our work e-mail, leave our laptop at home, and limit time we spend on the phone to a minimum. Switching to “do not disturb’ mode can help. By limiting digital stimuli, we allow our head to truly rest.
6. Be active
When analysing the results of the “Tourist trips of Poles in 2022 and plans for 2023” report by CBOS, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that in 2022 almost half of Poles did not take any holidays. Similar forecasts can be observed this year. The main reason? Finances. If during our time off we stay in the city, it is worth spending this free time actively. Employees who have a MultiSport card can use many seasonal activities and facilities, such as outdoor swimming pools, rope parks or beach volleyball courts. Perhaps one of the holiday activities will turn into a new passion, which will also have a positive effect on the psychophysical condition. According to the MultiSport Index 2023 report, 95% of physically active Poles claim that regular physical activity has a positive effect on their wellbeing and 89% agree that it reduces stress and bad emotions. This data speaks for itself. There is no doubt that physical activity is our ally in the fight against post-holiday blues.
7. Remember to warm up
After returning from holiday, the mailbox is bursting at the seams and the list of duties is constantly growing. Such a rollercoaster after a period of rest can make us dizzy. Research conducted at Washington State University shows that compared to the pre-holiday period employees’ productivity drops by 60% immediately after returning from holiday. After the next few days, this decrease is getting smaller, and only in the third week the efficiency increases to 110%.[4] That is why it is important to rest after the holiday and work a few days in a slower mode to effectively use the holiday energy.
8. Indulge yourself in little pleasures
To minimise the difficulties associated with returning to work, it is worth implementing a few positive habits from holiday. These can be meals referring to local cuisine, a souvenir mug, or a favourite holiday photo on the desk or as a background on the computer screen. Pursuing our passion will also be a great idea. You can sign up for a language course or dance classes. Such activities during the working week provide a lot of positive emotions and increase our energy to act.Post-holiday blues can affect anyone, but there are ways to protect yourself from it or minimise its symptoms. And it is always worth spending your days off actively to strengthen your physical and mental condition.