You just spent the last week in paradise—doing sunrise yoga, eating mouthwatering cuisine, exploring natural wonders, and learning about local culture—and now you’re home, folding laundry, bored out of your mind, and on the verge of tears. It’s called post-vacation blues, and trust us, we’ve been there. Keep reading for tips on how to overcome your post-vacation blues and ease your re-entry after a life-altering yoga adventure.
11 Tips to Ease Your Post-Vacation Blues
1. Book Another Trip ASAP
The best way to overcome post-vacation blues is to find a new adventure to look forward to. Studies suggest that the joy we receive from looking forward to a vacation can sometimes even outweigh the joy we receive from going on a vacation.
There’s something to be said for putting another adventure on your calendar.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to go to Bali or meet an Icelandic horse. Perhaps your dream yoga adventure is to be surrounded by the local, delicious wines of Sicily, or to be exploring an ancient floating village in Vietnam. Whatever calls to you, it can be really reassuring to remember that just because this one adventure has come to an end, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to have another one.
The fact that you had such a good time should show you that you are capable of having incredible travel experiences—and all you need to do is get another one lined up to reassure yourself that you’ll feel this way again.
2. Beat That Jet Lag
One sure way to ensure you’ll feel less shitty is to not let jet lag get the best of you.
No matter how tired you are coming back from your trip, don’t you dare fall asleep until it is bedtime in your local time zone!
This will save you a whole week of bad sleep, which will only make the post-vacation blues that much more severe.
3. Treat Yourself to Self-Care
When you’re feeling down, the best thing to do is take care of yourself. Let yourself cry a little. Make a bubble bath, brew some yogi tea, and play a new song you love (maybe one you heard while on your trip!) on the speakers. Get your nails done (and splurge on the fancy gen powder option). Go out to dinner and order dessert. Take yourself on a date to the aquarium.
4. Journal About What You Learned
When you go on a yoga adventure, it’s normal to experience a mind and body transformation. Having time to reflect on yourself and your life can often bring you clarity on issues you were dealing with.
Maybe you restored a sense of wonder in life while hiking Machu Picchu but you’re struggling to reconnect to that feeling while folding laundry in your three-story walk-up.
How do you prolong that feeling? How do you ensure you remember these insights when you’re back to your regular life?
Get out your favorite pen, a nice notebook, and journal about your trip. What was the experience like for you? What did you learn? How do you want to take these new insights into your regular life moving forward?
5. Do That Laundry
Okay, this one might sound odd (especially after we keep dissing laundry for being so boring), but cleaning the house and doing your laundry can do wonders for your state of mind.
With a nice closet full of freshly washed and folded clothes, a tidy living space, and fresh sheets on the bed, you’ll be tempted to start implementing the changes into your life that you were inspired about on your trip, and feel the motivation to enjoy your life at home!
You could even rework your wardrobe with your new yoga adventure state of mind. Nothing beats a fresh new look to prolong that feeling of being abroad.
6. Sign Up for a Language Course to Continue Learning
Was part of the travel fun learning a new language? Keep it up at home! Do a local search to see if there is a language class available in your area. And you’ll be happily surprised—there aren’t just language classes for the more popular languages like Spanish and French.
If you can’t find a language class locally, YouTube and the internet are your friends! There’s everything you need to keep your language skills fresh, even the option to find an international pen pal or conversation buddy.
7. Find a Local Restaurant to Stay Inspired
Returning home can feel like you are forever doomed to your subpar homemade spaghetti—but that’s not the case! Find a local restaurant of the cuisine that you are missing so dearly, and give it a shot. Chances are it’s pretty darn good.
Don’t live near any restaurants that offer the food you’re missing? I know it seems like we are a walking advertisement for YouTube, but it is an excellent resource y’all! Learn how to make the food yourself by watching a cooking tutorial or two (or eight, if you get roped in as we do). Trust us, you’ll feel more connected to your travel experience when you are smelling those delicious smells again.
8. Reconnect With Loved Ones (Who Missed You!)
While you were off having the time of your life in Fiji, your little pup counted down the days before your return. Don’t forget about the loved ones you have in your life that love you and are so happy to see you home.
If you’re feeling low, why not take your dog on an extra-long walk, or make dinner for your parents? It might feel like your best life was on a safari in Kenya, but the truth is that you have a wonderful life right at home that wants some love and appreciation, too.
9. Stay Connected to the Group
One of the best parts of going on an intentional yoga adventure is the built-in community that comes with it. You get thrown into a wild experience with a handful of strangers. When else in our adult lives do we get to experience the thrills of summer camp, field trips, and school all over again? (Except with yoga and excellent wine!)
The bonding, the conversation, the connection, and camaraderie is expedited on these kinds of adventures, and when you get home you may find yourself missing that connection a lot.
Our advice? Stay connected! Send a few of your favorite new friends a handwritten letter or postcard. Include a fond memory you have from the experience, or a simple “thinking of you and when you flew off your paddle board in the Galapagos!” Keeping in touch can be tedious, but it’s always worth it. Phone calls and getting coffee in real life are other great options.
10. Share Photos
Why not pop a photo from the trip into your snail mail? Or, okay, yes, you could also create a shared iPhone photo album and invite your friends to add their best photos and videos from the trip. There is something to be said for looking back on photos to remember what a great time you had!
11. Join a Local Yoga Studio
Did the routine of group sunrise yoga make you feel grounded on your trip? We’ll bet that putting on a Youtube yoga video at home isn’t doing the trick. We recommend finding a local yoga studio to practice in. There are so many incredible yoga studios around the world that intentionally create that sense of community you are craving.
Building community is one of the most important intentions we set with our Yoga Adventures, and we are not alone in prioritizing that feeling. Find a yoga place and try to go at least once a week. The more you go, the more connected you’ll feel to the growth you experienced on your yoga adventure, to your community and to the people you share your space with.