EP16 // 10 Tips to Curb Your Post-Vacation, End-of-Summer Blues

Do you ever feel blah for days on end after you get home from vacation?  Or even just now as kids go back to school and we approach the end of summer?  

Here are 10 super practical tips to curb those post vacation blues and dive back into your happiness lifestyle, enjoying the fruits of authentic positive thinking and stellar self-care!  

Today's Takeaways:

1. Post vacation blues are real; but be mindful of who you seek support from.  
2. Plan ahead, if, and where, you can.
3. Get your body moving but give yourself time to rebuild after you get home.
4. Jet lag, flight fatigue, car exhaustion is real - and although you are close to being a super woman, you too will be affected by them.  
5. Buy a water bottle, mug, or glass to hydrate from when you get home.
6. Have something from your trip to trip your senses. 
7. Intentionally reminisce over photos during coffee or dinner.
8. Incorporate little things into your day that intentionally bring you joy.
9. Don’t take it out on others.  
10. The 72 Hour Rule!

Transcribed Podcast:
Hey beautiful.
I'm dropping this bonus episode this week to share with you 10 tips to curb the post vacation blues.
 
Because I am going through that right now I had such a fabulous time away. I don't know if it's because I hadn't gone anywhere and almost a year and a half. But it's been hard to turn the corner and dive into my life with the same usual vim and vigor that I dive into my life. So I'm sharing with you these top 10 tips to curb your post vacation blues.

Hey, beautiful and welcome to Finally Effing Happy, a podcast and community for kick ass can do women who just happened to be living with some kind of chronic illness. My name is Shannon Clank happiness coach and self care strategist. And I also happen to be one of those kick ass can do women living with chronic illness. I am a self proclaimed Science of Happiness junkie and certified professional life coach, passionate about helping women be kind to themselves. I believe that happiness is not a feeling that just magically appears out of thin air. And it is not actually about feeling happy all the time. Happiness is a place where all emotions are welcome. And it is a practice that you can cultivate and get really, really good at no matter what's going on around you.

In this podcast, I share tons of practical, real life happiness hacks, self care strategies, and bring you some of my most favorite guests to share their wisdom so that you too can ignite and enrich your own happiness. I am absolutely thrilled that you are here for today's episode. So with no further ado, let's dive right in. Okay, beautiful. Well, first and foremost, the post vacation blues are a real thing. But not everybody is going to be sympathetic to hearing about your post vacation blues, you might come across as whiny or ungrateful. And so tip number one is be aware of who you're reaching out to for support to help you curb those post vacation blues. Because if you go to your girlfriend who hasn't been on vacation for five years, and as a single mom working 24, seven, Penny to Penny, she may not have a lot of sympathy for you. So be mindful of who you're reaching out to about your post vacation blues. But know that those feelings that you have, those are real, those are valid, which means still get some help turning that corner chatting with someone who will understand and give you the empathy and support that you need to help turn that corner to plan before you go. I know that seems so obvious. And like for me, I can't always plan before you go before I go. But if I can, and if you can, try to schedule a day or two even after you get home. Like Try not to schedule getting home the day before you have to go back to work. If you can schedule that extra day to catch up, put it on your calendar, make that part of your vacation time, which I know is really hard, especially if you're going someplace fabulous. Other plan ahead things if you do any kind of grocery delivery, like fill your grocery cart before you go so that when you get home, or maybe you're in the last hour of your road trip or you've just landed from your plane, you can just hit send, deliver and that grocery order is on its way. In regards to work stuff. There's nothing worse than coming back from vacation and having 1000 emails. So again, to the best of your ability, I can always do this with my work schedule. But I try not to bunch appointments, the first couple of days that I get back. And prior to leaving, I will schedule time on my calendar I'll put blocks on my calendar that say something like vacation catch up, because you and I both know when you get back from vacation, you still got to get all that workload done plus catch up on all the things that when you were gone. So as much as possible number to plan ahead, three when you get home, exercise or movement. Now if you're not a big exerciser, and you don't have a regular exercise routine, maybe it's just going outside for a walk. Maybe it's just Getting 15 minutes outside to look at the trees and smell the air, something to do to get your blood pumping your body moving.

But if you are someone who has a regular exercise routine, and you put that on hold while you're on vacation, either on a choice to give yourself a break, which is like totally celebrate that. Or maybe it's because it wasn't available there. Like maybe you love to run and there wasn't a place that felt safe to run. Or maybe you're a gym rat and there wasn't a gym there. When you get back scheduled build up workouts, so don't expect them when you get back, you're going to be exactly where you were when you left on vacation a week ago or two weeks ago, or however long it was. So schedule, steady workouts that allow you to build back up and give yourself that grace of a week or even two weeks or three to build back up to where you were. Which brings me to item number four jetlag time zones, flight fatigue, 12 hours in a car, those are all real energy suckers, it is real, and you are not Wonder Woman. I mean, you are Wonder Woman, but not defying the laws of jet lag time zones, flight fatigue, being in the car for six hours or 10 hours or however long the road trip is. So be kind to yourself and really acknowledge that that is real. Item number five, water, water, water water. If you've been listening to me, you know that there is very little that I don't think water is somewhat of a solution to so when I get home from vacation, and I've been really diligent this last week, because it was really struggling turning the corner myself from the post vacation blues, being really diligent. And one of the things that helps me is I buy a water bottle or a glass or a mug or something like that while I'm away. And I drink out of that for the first couple of days. And then every time I drink out of it, I think of one quick happy memory or something that I'm grateful for like it's a trigger point to help me shift my mindset to the positive. Which brings me to item number six, have something from your trip to trip your senses. That's right, have something from your trip to trip your senses sight sound, smell touch by a postcard and put it in your office and every time you see it quietly and quickly remind yourself of something wonderful from the trip. Or maybe you purchased a small rock or crystal or something that has a positive affirmation that you can put in your pocket. And every time you put your hands in your pocket or in your pocket book. And you see it you can quietly and quickly say one gratitude from your trip. sense what you smell. So if there was a soap or a shampoo in the hotel, that was one of the you know provided for in the hotel and you really loved that smell. Bring one of those tiny travel size home with you just to help with that transition period. I make sound recordings, I love when we're going hiking the birds chirping. I'll make everyone stop walking and I will do a 10 or 32nd sound recording. I know it makes my family a little crazy. I love recording the sound of a stream. But when I'm in a city I also love doing a 10 or 32nd audio recording on my phone of that city scape. So what are those things sight sound smell touch that can trip your senses. And again, rather than that being a downer, like Oh, the things I missing. I use it as an opportunity to say one quick thing to shift my mindset about a positive memory. Which brings me to item number seven. I'm sure you have a ton of pictures on your camera roll I intentionally either will take five minutes while I'm drinking my coffee in the morning or during dinner with the family. We will look at pictures and reminisce and we'll smile and laugh and we'll tell those stories and all those things that you do doesn't have to be long are involved. But it just helps to elongate that joy. And the more I focus on joy and nurture joy, the more joyful we are. Alright, number eight. Incorporate little things into your day that make you smile very intentionally. So if you've seen my Instagram, you saw a post that I posted about some sunflower jewelry that showed up from Natalie Cogan and Diane at nosh jewelry that just bring Bring me so much joy. So I've been wearing my big sunflower ring. And every time I see it, it just brings me some intentional joy. I've also been wearing my be happy socks. And I also have a pair of socks that I'm a girl, what's your superpower? And so what are those things in your life that just make you smile. And even if there's no good reason to wear it, or have it or whatever that day, find a way to incorporate it into your day and into your life. Number nine, and this isn't so much a tip on how to curb it. But don't take it out on other people, right? Don't take it out on our families or our girlfriends or our co workers so hard to do. But the more we take it out on other people, the crappier we feel all right. And if you are doing all these things, and just can't curb that post vacation, blues, and really feel like there's some big change you need to make in your life because of something, some revelation epiphany that you had on your vacation, I have a steadfast 72 hour rule, I make a decision to not make any life altering decisions for 72 hours, because the truth is in 72 hours, things are going to look different. Either your life won't look so bad. Or you're going to get more clarity on exactly what it is that you need or want to change and how to go about doing that. And for me personally, like I'm someone who has lived on many different continents, like I get a bee in my bonnet, and I want to move from Europe to New Zealand, back to the United States or whatever. So if it's a if it's a life altering decision that's going to uproot me and my family, I actually have a three week rule. But for most of us a 72 hour rule is really just fine. So last but not least, I'll circle us back to that first one. be thoughtful of who you're going to get support for on this, but do indeed get support because post vacation blues are a real thing. And how we shift our mindset, and how we reset to our happiness lifestyle is really important. So on that note until we connect Next, please be kind to you today, and I can't wait to talk to you soon. Hello, beautiful. I am so grateful that you join me for today's episode. Last but not least, can I ask you a favor if there is something in this episode that just touched your heart you found helpful or meaningful? Will you do me a favor drop me a comment and Apple podcast. That's how this algorithm thing gets triggered. And then more women can find finally up and happy, it would just mean so very much to me. Or better yet, take a screenshot and share it on Instagram or Facebook and tag me and I'll tag you back and we'll have that sweet connection. I would love for you to come follow me over on Instagram @finallyeffinghappy or even better yet, if you want to hang out some more come join me in my facebook group. You can join that at bi T dot L y backslash finally F and happy group. But if social media isn't your jam, but you want to stay up to date on all the exciting news at Finally Effing Happy. Come join my email list and you can do that super easy at vi T dot L y backslash finally F and happy email list. And last but not least, I mentioned how important it is to pick the right person to share your post vacation blues or maybe it's just end of summer blues with and if you can't find that right person in your life, I am offering the three people a 30 minute one on one mindset reset coaching session. Three people only send me an email at [email protected]. And just let me know you've listened to this episode. And we'll get something on the calendar and help you reengage and reignite your own happiness mindset. All of that information will be in the show notes so it's super easy for us to connect. Again. I so deeply appreciate that you joined me here today. And until we connect next be well and please be kind to you today.