After coming back from that wonderful holiday, the routine has just begun and, already at the end of the first working day, fatigue strikes again. Sleeping doesn’t work either and, overall, it feels like that holiday never happened. This is what is termed the holiday dip.
It is a common problem, persisting in more than half the population. And the causes are not so uncommon – the happiness hormones -endorfins, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin- start breaking down at the end of a period of relaxation.
“By resting, exercising and relaxing during your holiday, you get more of those kinds of hormones. But as soon as you come back to the everyday rhythm of life, those hormones start degenerating. And it is quite possible that you sleep worse as a result”, explains De Mönnink from the Sleep Clinic in Oisterwijk.
The long to-do lists as we come back to the grind of everyday life also contributes to this stress. “As soon as you get home, the car has to be unpacked, washed, the grass mowed, the weeds are up to your knees, and just look at that overflowing mailbox from work… these are all tasks and anxieties that you did not have during your holiday. And that disrupts the production of those happiness hormones”, says De Mönnink.
Tips to prevent the holiday-dip
1. Aim for a quiet start, whether at home or office.
2. Leave to replies to emails until one or two days after you come back. It is also advisable to set up the out-of-office system for the time period.
3. Exchange holiday stories with colleagues and then gradually scale up to work at the office.
4. Maintain a balanced sleep-wake rhythm. Unless there is severe jetlag from a long journey, it might not be necessary to turn in early.
Source: OmroepBrabant
Translator: Seetha
