Returning from Vacation

Vacation is over, the suitcases are being unpacked, and little by little, everyday life returns. Alarm clocks go off again, commitments fill up the calendar, and the pace of life begins to resemble what we left behind just a few weeks ago. For many people, this transition isn’t always easy. It’s accompanied by a sense of melancholy, low spirits, or even anxiety, creating what’s often called “post-vacation blues.”

The truth is that the difficulty of returning to routine is a normal reaction. For a while, we lived with fewer restrictions, more free time, and greater distance from the demands of everyday life. When this changes abruptly, the brain needs time to adjust. It’s not just work or obligations that make things difficult for us. It’s the transition from one way of life to another.

Often, this change is accompanied by the feeling that the good times are over and that we’re returning to a reality full of responsibilities. The more we idealize vacations and view everyday life as something we simply have to endure, the harder it becomes to adjust. An internal divide forms between the life we enjoy and the life we “have to” live.

But everyday life doesn’t have to be the enemy of vacations. On the contrary, it’s the biggest part of our lives. And the more we manage to make room in it for small moments of joy, rest, and self-care, the less our well-being depends on just a few weeks out of the year.

Returning home can also serve as a natural fresh start. Just like the beginning of a new year, the end of summer offers us the chance to take stock. What really did us good on vacation? Was it getting more sleep? Time spent with loved ones? Spontaneous walks? Taking a break from our phone screens? If these things were so important for our mental well-being, perhaps it’s worth asking ourselves how we can maintain them—even if only to a small extent—once we’re back.

We often believe that change requires big decisions. In reality, mental resilience is built through small, consistent habits. A daily walk, a little time without a cell phone before bed, a get-together with friends during the week, or the decision to better protect our personal time can have a greater impact than we imagine.

Returning to work or school is also an opportunity to reevaluate how we organize our daily lives. Often, after a period of rest, we see more clearly which habits drain us and which ones help us feel better. Perhaps this is the right time to set more realistic boundaries, seek a better work-life balance, or take up an activity we’ve been putting off for a while.

This doesn’t mean the adjustment will happen overnight. It’s normal during the first few days to feel a bit down, have trouble concentrating, or feel like we “haven’t gotten back into the swing of things yet.” Just as it took time to wind down at the start of vacation, it also takes time to get back into our previous routines. The pressure to get back on track immediately can make this process even more difficult.

Perhaps, then, the most important thing we can do is to approach the return with more compassion toward ourselves. We don’t have to be at 100 percent from day one. We need to allow ourselves time to adjust, just as we would with any other change.

Vacations aren’t just for resting. They’re also there to remind us of what truly matters to us. If we return with a better understanding of our needs and the intention to take better care of our daily lives, then coming back doesn’t mean the end of summer. It can mark the beginning of a new, more balanced relationship with time, our obligations, and ourselves.

 

Perhaps, in the end, the most important thing we bring back from vacation isn’t the souvenirs or the photos. It’s the opportunity to return a little different from how we left. And that’s a change worth keeping for much longer than just one summer.

Monday, 31 August 2026