
Managing Vacation Stress – vacations and holidays are meant to be times of relaxation and rejuvenation. A time to stop what you are doing, spend time with family, relax and have fun. However, sometimes going on holiday can have its own set of stressors.
Common sources of vacation stress might include: pre-trip planning, travel logistics, financial concerns, relationship triggers, feeling that it is difficult to leave work behind and switch off. We will all have our own stress triggers to going on vacation and it is a normal thing to experience.
The article Do holidays help or hinder depression? Suggests that holidays can be very stressful, particularly in the week leading up to going way, as there is often a lot to plan and extra things to do as well as a rising workload as you anticipate what will need doing while you are away.
A number of studies have found the start of a holiday is often marred by low mood and a lack of motivation. Ironically, the sudden downshift from everyday stress to doing very little may also be the reason so many of us come down with a bug as soon as we go away. Some research, including a study from Tilburg University, Netherlands, shows our immune system may be adjusting to the drop in stress hormones. Scientists still don’t fully understand how this works, but compare it to quickly changing from fifth to first gear in a car – the body finds it hard to cope with the dramatic shift.
How can you manage vacation stress?
- Plan ahead – make sure you plan your holiday in plenty of time. Don’t leave it until the last minute to check your passport is in date or to get your holiday money. Research where you are going and make travel arrangements well in advance.
- Budget for your holiday – remember to save money throughout the year for your holiday so that you can cashflow your vacation and not need to go into debt to go away.
- Continue self-care when away – it can be easy to get caught up with what you are doing when you are away, remember to get enough sleep, stay hydrated and eat properly. Allow yourself to rest when you need to so that you don’t come back more exhausted that before you went away.
- Disconnect from work – try to set boundaries with work, resist checking emails and messages. Set an out of office message and ask others to pick up anything important while you are away so that you are not worrying about things being left undone.
- Be realistic – we can look forward to our holiday all year round, we can be waiting for it and have expectations of how we want it to be. It is important to let go of these expectations and just be present and flexible with what happens. If you think you will be anxious about travelling, try learning some relaxation techniques and methods for keeping yourself calm.
We all deserve to go on vacation, it is important that the holiday we take doesn’t become another headache or stressor. Implementing some of the tips above will hopefully mean that your holiday gives you an opportunity to relax and unwind and return home refreshed.
If you are struggling with going away on holiday or are finding it difficult to prioritize taking a break you might find it useful to speak to a professional. Paul Carter is an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) practitioner as well as a counsellor, psychotherapist. If you are looking for support, call Paul Carter now to book an appointment or to discuss your issues further. To make an appointment please call Paul on 07843 813 537 or fill in the form on the Contact Page, if he doesn’t answer he is probably in a session, please leave him a message and he will call you back as soon as he can.