UAE: How residents can relax after their vacations
Vacation is one leisure activity that many extend their annual leave entitlement to, especially those who have had an extended summer leave in the UAE.
Interestingly, the Journal of Organizational Behavior published research that supports this concept as scheduling some leisure activities after the vacation helps to stretch this fading out period especially when such activities are soothing.
Other studies, however , do note how planning a few of these short vacations or rather some relaxing activities in the days immediately following one’s return will save the most from the psychological and productivity horizons one gets from a holiday.
‘Missing the big family’
“Quite a few, especially American expat Natalia Miranda who has relocated to the UAE but recently came back for an extended holiday in Kerala, India confessed, ‘I always have the post-holiday blues. Astaghfirullah – There is this goosebump experience, which they call post holiday blues. It is twofold ‘There is a refreshing holiday which one goes for and there is a fresh holiday – family – one goes.’ In a few words, if one has taken a refreshing holiday, pock you, it is time to get back to normalcy.
You have to wake up and prepare breakfast, lunch and supper. When you are in a hotel, one is just making an order or outs food.” ‘Otherwise, when you travel to see the family, and you come back to an empty apartment, the post-holiday blues kick in. It is just when people are not around and the house is dark and silent where one understands how big the family actually is.’ ” Then you really get worn out because one is doing one too many different things, and one is running around scrambling bananas doing various errands.” “So when Natalia came back she reported arriving at the prefecture and said it is sad, and anyway added that it is ok for one not to be sad.
'I hate and refuse to look at office correspondence'
She also talked about the occasional fear of potential issues that can be discovered or angry responses on work emails that have been written and sent during her absence.
"I also hate, rubbish these days, people take the trouble of making all the arrangements to go back to the office, mail everything, and so on and so forth, I will say do to it two to three days also before I am required to come back, as though people at my workplace, they will hold these aggressive I don't know its just that about work. There is coping work stress."
It's somehow easier to return
Shreya Chakraborty, who is an attorney, realizes how 'post-vacation syndrome' fatigue is likely to start occurring after a few days and sleeping trouble in the days quickly approaching the end of her vacation.
“Actually, a few days before the holiday is over, I feel as if the enjoyment comes to a halt for me. The everyday pattern begins messing around in my head. I become apprehensive about going back to the house which means going back to the routine tasks of home as well as office. The tensions of day-to-day living, and more so the business world, begin creeping in even before the holiday officially ends. That is why I always make it a point to watch a movie on the return flight. This activity makes one’s head busy.”
She continues, “I start trying to schedule as well my next time off, so as not to skip at least a mini-vacation. And this can certainly help in terms of decreasing the amount of stress and recovering that momentum. Also, I tend to come back to work on a Thursday or a Friday, which is nearer to a weekend as opposed to a Monday.”
Slowly get back to operation normal
Healthcare professionals confirmed that there are cases of resorting to vacationing in order to reset from a previous vacation. “This is common and is called ‘vacation fatigue,’” Dr. Nada Omer, a consultant psychiatrist at Abu Dhabi’s Burjeel hospital said.
“This sense exists because although everyone enjoys going on vacations, it is because there is travel, socializing, and even normalcy that keeps the relaxation at bay. The sudden return to chores and normal time is what fuels one’s fatigue and feeling completely overwhelmed,” she included.
Though, it was explained by the specialists, to overcome this sensation, people have to return to their rhythm in a composed manner, for example, taking one day off after the return, doing the harmless things or achieving some level of meditation in order to come to the surroundings.
"As Omer noted, ‘Adjustment period for the new environment is left aside and kept in a corner which is not healthy. In considering to say the least, an adjustment period is a plus in processing events and getting back to normality in day to day activities."
Wellness coaches also emphasize that when taking a holiday, it is necessary to understand what benefits emotional and mental recovery from this vacation can potentially bring.
"Maybe, this implies planning extra healing days, opting for vacations with specific themes and activities or participating in similar holidays that encourage personal growth and wellness," said Girish Hemnani, a Life Coach based in Dubai.
“The vacations should be treated as adding to the emotional and mental health maintenance and rather than as an opportunity to go out of the system. That change in thinking is perhaps the most critical one that may help one make the most of travel as a preservation and restoration in this case,” he said.
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