Oh, that really chaps my hide. Not everyone gets paid vacation much less time off even if they do make enough to afford to take one! I am sorry you are worn out from your time to relax and decompress. What a pile of what scatologists study (dictionary...it's in there)!
I have experienced a general malaise post extended travel and I do understand the potential of not feeling rested due to the stresses of travel schedules and making use of planes, trains, and automobiles. The best travel websites in the world cannot guarantee a stress-free two weeks or one week or weekend. What is the cause of the post-vacation blues? It has to be a product of distorted vacation psychology!
We miss the boat. Vacations should be boring. Boring, banal excursions to nowhere. The worse the better!
Think about it. Before you even pack your desk you feel the excitement build. You spent months saving and planning for this trip to wherever! You logged countless hours in front of your computer screen (at home and in the office when no one was looking) searching all the competing websites for the best deal. You spent the hard earned money on a package sight unseen, but are stoked by the prospect of an awesome time to be shared with your family, or significant other, or yourself as a swinging single!
Phase one of erroneous vacation psychology has taken hold.
Anticipation=stress.
Simple fix: two weeks in North Platte Nebraska.
Consider the facts:
No one in their right minds wants to vacation there so hotel availability and rates will be no problem.
There is a river (The Plattes both North and South) and, if the summer hasn't been too dry, you might be able to catch a fish...though doubtful.
If you have no interest in fishing there are lightning storms, tornados, and the usual high-speed, wind-powered tumble weed races.
Anticipation=0 and so therefore Stress=0.
Relaxation is the ultimate result. Who knows? You might actually read a book.
Phase two of erroneous vacation psychology usually causes that Monday morning dread you experience when you realize work looms and it is back to the grind for another 50 weeks!
The better the time had the harder to return to what enabled you to have that wonderful time to start with.
It may not be fair to our job/career but we are only human. So our equation is now:
Fun=regret
Regret=depression
Depression=malaise
Malaise=possible loss of job/career
Loss of job=no more fun
A simple fix:
Choose a companion that you secretly can't stand such as a cheating ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, your ex-mother-in-law or tattle-tale nephew, etc. Having to deal with someone who sucks the life out of every moment spent together will guarantee the absence of fun.
While traveling be sure to only pack your most uncomfortable clothing and footwear. Forget your credit cards and/or have someone change your debit card PIN number but not give you the sequence. Any potential fun will certainly take a hike.
The worse time you have the fewer regrets had. Your attitude returning to work after getting rid of the pain in the arse you've been stuck with for two weeks, wearing woolen underdrawers and eating Happy Meals due to a lack of funds will be one of relief and willingness to immerse yourself in any project thrown your way enabling you to forget that horrific experience.
No fun=no depression
No depression=no malaise
No malaise=no loss of job/career
Win=win
The final phase of improperly applied vacation psychology is that water cooler comment about needing a vacation after getting back from vacation. This is the simplest and most human byproduct of the post-holiday psyche...An embarrassment of riches. Simply stated, the person making that statement is fighting the impulse of strutting in on Monday bragging to the peons in the office how awesome his vacation had been and how they all had to work extra for his being gone. Self-deprecation works in most cases however, in this case, the reverse is true. As a matter of fact, it is so blatant you might want to smack the person who said it. The only response to that simple question, "How was your vacation?" should have been "Great." No other words required. The person asking doesn't really care about anything else. If they ask another probing question then and only then add another word or two.
The best fix for phase three is to take care of phases one and two.
In the future, I hope this post can act as a simple guide to get your mind right planning your next trip, especially if you are lucky enough to work a job that allows for paid vacations. Psychological exhaustion caused by the stress of extended travel is a real thing! And the best way to calm those jangled nerves isn't taking another long trip. All it takes is your fouling up the trip you just had enough to want to get back to work!
I rest my case. Thank you, Charles Schulz.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are welcome, but keep it clean! We're running a family oriented blogging thing here!