The Buffer Day Strategy for Vacation Recovery
Preventing the post-vacation crash.
Hi there, friend.
One of the biggest vacation mistakes I used to make was driving home late on a Sunday night and expecting myself to jump back into the chaos at work on Monday morning.
The abrupt change was too much. Going from the relaxed pace of travel to the high-demand reality of daily life felt like hitting a stone wall at roadrunner speed. Without fail, I would crash into a deep, heavy depression by Tuesday. By Thursday, I was often too weak to go to work.
To survive the return, you need to schedule a buffer day.
If you are taking a week off, come home on Saturday, not Sunday. Use Sunday as a transition day. Unpack your bags. Do a load of laundry. Go to the grocery store. Let your nervous system slowly adjust to being back in your own time zone and routine.
Try not to let the jarring shift of reality undo all the peace you found on your trip. Give your brain a 24-hour airlock before stepping back into the daily grind.
Journal Prompt
Think about your last trip. How did you feel the day you returned to work? Write down a plan to implement a buffer day for your next getaway.
Until next time, keep fighting.
Scott Ninneman
This week’s theme post:
Scott Ninneman is the author of Speaking Bipolar’s 30 Days of Positivity, Anchored in the Storm (Guided Journal), and the writer behind SpeakingBipolar.com. Living in the mountains of southeast Tennessee, he spends his days crunching numbers as a tax preparer and his nights caring for his mother and writing stories about bipolar life. (And he loves pandas.)
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Great strategy, when I have a longer holiday I’ll extend my leave until Wednesday, even if we return Sunday. Feel much more relaxed coming back to a 3-day week!
Great idea!