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Season 4, Episode 1: On A Healthy Return from Your Holidays

Thomas and Panu reflected on the often overlooked process of re-entry into life after a holiday or vacation. They considered Thomas’s idea of the “half-life” of restorative experiences. That is, how long the mental benfits of the experience enhance your normal or usual existence, such through increased perspective or calm, and how to extend these positive effects. They also recognized how technology and consumerism have infiltrated into seasonal breaks and holidays. And the shadow impacts of guilt regarding travel impacts on the environment, and emotional risks of returning from a holiday to face unsatisfying aspects of life. Mindfulness and intention are important for bringing the gifts and perspectives gained from a trip back into your everyday life, whether from a simple, local holiday or an ambitious journey. We hope this episode will be inspiring for listeners returning from seasonal holidays in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. 

Takeaways

• Returning from a holiday or vacation can bring a fresh perspective and newness to one's life and work.

• The half-life of experiences is often short, but there are ways to extend the positive effects and insights gained from a break.

• Mindfulness and intention are key in bringing the gifts and perspectives from a trip back into everyday life.

• Consumerism and the environmental impact of travel are important considerations when planning trips.

• Embracing the emotional aspect of returning from a holiday, including feelings of joy and sadness, can enrich the experience.

Links

• American Psychological Association Vacation Time Recharges US Workers, but Positive Effects Vanish Within Days, New Survey Finds

• The 2018 Study

• On post vacation fade out, see Shanna B. Tiayon 2023 How to Avoid Post-Vacation Stress