So here we are at the end of August. You may have recently come back from Greece / Florida / Glamping / Cornish Coast and now it is time to go back to work and get the kids ready for school. Lots of us believe that we often feel low at this time because of this transition back into the “real world”. However, it is worth reflecting of what happens during the holidays themselves.
During the summer we often have a lot more of “unstructured” time—longer evenings, time away, long weekends and school holidays. Most of us are creatures of habit and crave routine, so as soon as we have all this time on our hands, things can start to become a bit more volatile. With fewer commitments to occupy ourselves with, we may start reflecting on things we are unhappy with in our lives, or ruminate on any underlying worries.
During the summer we often have a lot more of “unstructured” time—longer evenings, time away, long weekends and school holidays. Most of us are creatures of habit and crave routine, so as soon as we have all this time on our hands, things can start to become a bit more volatile. With fewer commitments to occupy ourselves with, we may start reflecting on things we are unhappy with in our lives, or ruminate on any underlying worries.
Also, the holidays themselves require a lot of organisation and we often have high expectations of the experience we want to achieve. We hope for picture-perfect days and moments and if those do not materialize, it could leave us feeling disappointed.
It is well known that relationships can become strained during the time away—being constantly together with your partners, family or parents in an unfamiliar environment can lead to tension or disagreements, which is completely normal.
So what can we do now? The first step could be to do a bit of mindfulness practice. Imagine that today you are separated from the past and future by giant heavy metal doors, like a compartmentalized ship in a storm. Focus on the everyday tasks at hand, no matter how mundane. Allocate some time in the day to do a few minutes of breathing and relaxation, acknowledging any thoughts and feelings as they appear.
Secondly, you can reconnect with friends, family and colleagues, share memories and plan things to look forward to throughout the year.
Lastly, try transferring some of the behaviour during the holiday into the everyday life. For example, if you crammed it full of sightseeing, why not try to do more cultural activities at home on the weekend. You may have discovered some new activities you enjoy and can now use the post-holiday energy to incorporate them into your life.
Oh and almost forgot, you can also book the next holiday:)
Best wishes
Fernwood Clinic Team
Read more articles on emotional health from our blog
It is well known that relationships can become strained during the time away—being constantly together with your partners, family or parents in an unfamiliar environment can lead to tension or disagreements, which is completely normal.
So what can we do now? The first step could be to do a bit of mindfulness practice. Imagine that today you are separated from the past and future by giant heavy metal doors, like a compartmentalized ship in a storm. Focus on the everyday tasks at hand, no matter how mundane. Allocate some time in the day to do a few minutes of breathing and relaxation, acknowledging any thoughts and feelings as they appear.
Secondly, you can reconnect with friends, family and colleagues, share memories and plan things to look forward to throughout the year.
Lastly, try transferring some of the behaviour during the holiday into the everyday life. For example, if you crammed it full of sightseeing, why not try to do more cultural activities at home on the weekend. You may have discovered some new activities you enjoy and can now use the post-holiday energy to incorporate them into your life.
Oh and almost forgot, you can also book the next holiday:)
Best wishes
Fernwood Clinic Team
Read more articles on emotional health from our blog
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