First day back at work after your holiday?

I returned from a wonderful family holiday in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday and after five days of freedom and being able to do whatever we please whenever we want, eat whatever we like (including spending an hour enjoying a big breakfast which I never normally have time for), I found returning to boring old normality rather depressing.

The trouble with holidays is that you spend months looking forward to them and then within a matter of days/weeks they come to an end.

No matter how hard you try to stop the holiday flashbacks or how desperately you wish you weren’t back in your home, the reality is clear, your holiday is over.

One minute you are enjoying breathtaking scenery, eating good food, meeting lovely people, touring around historic buildings or simply lying on the beach with clear blue skies making the most of the sun on your skin, and the next you are faced with the prospect of returning home with a mountain of dirty washing and no food in the fridge! Reality soon kicks in and you are back in the daily grind again. There is also the gloom of coming home broke and I am dreading my credit card statement at the end of the month!

After returning to the office the next day, while I was happy to see my colleagues and share my holiday photos with them, facing me on my desk was a blank calendar and while flicking through my diary I had to go past the “ON HOLIDAY” part written in big red writing. However, once home, I enjoyed a nice meal and a very good night’s sleep and felt like a different person the next day.

If you have just returned from holiday and feel a bit down, there are ways to beat the post-holiday blues. As soon as we arrived home, I decided to unpack. I felt very tired, but didn’t want to be tripping over suitcases for the next fortnight reminding me of the good time we had.

With the washing done, that was another job ticked off my long “to do” list. I then texted my friend to arrange to meet in the week for lunch. A change of scene and a healthy dose of human interaction could be just what I needed. I am also planning a weekend break in this country – another holiday to look forward to.

For anyone who is fighting a case of post-holiday blues, don’t despair. This sad feeling won’t last until your next vacation and while I’m grateful for being able to enjoy a nice holiday, there really is no place like home.