Stressed before the holiday and immediately stressed again after the break?
Recovery often doesn't last long.
Experts speak of the post-holiday syndrome.
Every employee looks forward to vacation with longing.
Sleep in, don't keep appointments all day long and let your soul dangle at home or when travelling: the holidays are there to relax completely.
But by no means everyone succeeds. According to a report by the tourism
company TUI
, two-thirds of German office workers cannot switch off when they are on vacation .
According to a YouGov study, 66 percent of those surveyed should still have their heads at work even when they are on vacation.
Quite a few even work on their days off.
Anyone who finds it difficult to switch off during the vacation days often starts their working day feeling exhausted.
According to the TUI
report, around two thirds of all employees are
affected by the post-holiday syndrome.
This is not just a fashionable term, but a low mood recognized by psychological experts - which, however, must be clearly distinguished from depression.
The post-holiday syndrome can manifest itself through the following symptoms, among others:
fear and irritability
lack of concentration
Bad mood
insomnia
Headache
+
The stress of everyday life often quickly fades the relaxation after the holiday.
© Imago
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Prefer simple tasks: tips against the post-holiday syndrome
On average, the goodbye vacation blues lasts between one and three days, according to the
Siemens company health insurance fund (SBK)
.
As a rule, it begins at the end of the holiday.
But the post-holiday syndrome can also set in during the last few days of vacation.
Namely when it is certain that the first working days after the break will be stressful.
Then the mood sinks even up to two days before the end of the holiday, the
SBK
quotes information from the Dutch tourism researcher Jeroen Narwijn.
Are you already sagging again on the first day at work after a nice holiday?
There are some strategies that are better at overcoming or preventing post-holiday syndrome.
For example, try the following tips:
After a trip, plan a few days of vacation in your home.
So you can slowly get used to everyday life again.
Start planning your next break immediately.
For some people, planning several small vacations a year rather than one or two very long trips helps.
So not so much time has to be bridged until the next recovery phase.
A few days before your first day at work, try to adapt your sleeping pattern to your usual working hours.
Start with simple tasks and not with a challenging large-scale project.
Make sure you take enough breaks during the working day and don't work overtime.
This does not only apply to the time after vacation, because this behavior prevents burnout.
Sustainably reduce stress – with proven relaxation techniques
Meditation is a technique that helps you find yourself in the moment instead of getting lost in your thoughts.
As the Techniker Krankenkasse further informs, in the course of mediation you will learn to let thoughts come and go without holding onto or evaluating them.
The goal: gain distance from everyday stress.
Health insurance companies, yoga studios and many fitness studios offer courses.
You can also use apps to try out whether meditation is something for you.
© Marcos Castillo/Imago
Yoga also strengthens and stretches the deep muscle groups.
But the Far Eastern teachings, which include many physical as well as mental exercises, can do more.
Because the relaxation exercises in yoga slow down the breathing, which has a calming effect on the entire organism.
If you want to try it out, you are confronted with a wealth of offers.
Yoga and fitness studios, but also health insurance companies and adult education centers offer courses.
© svyatoslav lipinskiy/Imago
Many people swear by progressive muscle relaxation when they need to calm down.
The principle behind it: Targeted tensing and relaxing of the muscles reduces nerve activity and mental tension.
As the AOK further informs, you can also carry out the exercises independently after prior instruction from a suitably trained therapist.
© Ivan Gener/Imago
Autogenic training is a relaxation technique that aims to help you find peace through mental concentration.
Unlike in progressive muscle relaxation, muscles are not consciously tensed and relaxed here.
As the neurologists and psychiatrists continue to inform on the net, it is much more a kind of self-hypnosis that takes place during autogenic training.
With the help of mantra-like exercise formulas (e.g. "The right arm is very heavy" or "The right arm is very warm"), the aim is to bring the entire organism to rest.
You can find courses at your health insurance company and at the adult education center, among others.
© Olga Pankova/Imago
Woman takes a deep breath in the fresh air.Breathing techniques help reduce severe stress.
When you are tense, your breathing usually flattens out and the air is not inhaled further than into your chest.
Calm, regular abdominal breathing, however, leads to muscles relaxing and the body being better supplied with blood.
It can also lower blood pressure.
And this is what healthy and deep abdominal breathing looks like according to the 4/7/11 rule: Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds and hold it for 11 minutes.
© Imago
Cheerful young woman wrapped in a blanket sitting with a cup of hot chocolate on the terrace of a bungalowAccording to Techniker Krankenkasse, mindfulness has been shown in many studies to be effective in reducing stress.
In recognized courses on "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction" techniques are learned that help to be in the here and now instead of in the past or in the future - not only physically but also mentally.
An important aspect: Being mindful means banishing any judgment from your thoughts.
The moment, the breathing, the sounds outside are only perceived, you don't think about anything.
© Aleksei Isachenko/Imago
Woman wanders in the home gardenMany people intuitively do the right thing when they are feeling stressed.
Many people find sport to be a very good valve for releasing pressure.
According to the Techniker Krankenkasse, sport is not one of the typical relaxation techniques, but rather a so-called passive method.
© Imago
Woman lying in the bathtubThe so-called passive methods do not only include sport.
A relaxing break in the bath, a walk or time with a good book can also reduce the stress level enormously by creating feelings of satisfaction, according to Techniker Krankenkasse.
© Imago
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
List of rubrics: © Imago