“Who says end of vacation, often says end of summer and of the lightness that this season induces.”
We’ve barely returned from vacation and we only have one thing on our minds: to go back. While vacations allow us to recharge our batteries and rest, in reality, returning from vacation would be problematic for a large majority of French people. According to a survey conducted by the NaturAvignon Laboratory on more than 2,600 people, only 11% of French people would feel in great shape after their vacation while 63% would feel a state of generalized stress with psychological fatigue and sleep problems.
That little blues that comes at the end of the holidays has a name: post-holiday syndrome, a sort of seasonal depression after all. More precisely, it describes a feeling of fatigue, lack of motivation and disorientation.Which is quite normal, according to Valérie Delenne, naturopath. Who says end of vacation, often says end of summer and the lightness that this season induces. On vacation, we disrupt our habits, our diet and our sleep rhythm. We will have to find stability to better approach the start of the school year.”
“We will act on 4 main axes”
Although this depression is often temporary, there are solutions to overcome it.We will be able to act on 4 main axes“, says the expert.
► The physical sphere: “The idea is to resume regular physical activity. If you can’t always play sports, the ideal is to walk at least 20-30 minutes a day at a good pace. The main thing is to be moving“. Physical activity (ideally outdoors, because “The brain likes to see the green of vegetation and the blue of the sky!”) will allow you to oxygenate and secrete endorphins, helping to fight against stress and fatigue.
► The emotional sphere:
- The first piece of advice is to return to work gently: the ideal is to give yourself at least one or two days before returning to work. There needs to be a transition and avoid returning directly the day after returning.
- Find activities that we enjoy (manual activities, gardening, going to the cinema, reading a good book, etc.)
- Maintain social ties with loved ones, remember the good times spent on vacation, which are real sources of comfort: review vacation photos, keep a travel journal, share memories with loved ones…
- Act on stress with breathing or cardiac coherence exercises
- Set new goals and why not start planning your next vacation?
► Sleep: You will need to find a good sleep rhythm and a good sleep environment:
- Go to bed earlier and get enough sleep to get restorative sleep
- Avoid screens before going to bed
- Favor foods rich in tryptophan (oilseeds, bananas, dairy products, eggs) which allow the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
- Consider taking oral melatonin if necessary (in consultation with a healthcare professional)
- Certain plants, with sedative and anxiolytic properties, can help you sleep better: valerian, passion flowerescholtzia, saffron.These plants contain active molecules which are not harmless, their use must be regulated“.
► Food: “It is often upset on vacation, we generally eat later and richer. We will have to find a balance and diversity in our daily dietinsists Valérie Delenne. My advice is to favor foods rich in good amino acids and minerals, which trigger our neurotransmitters that regulate our mood..”
- Favor foods rich in protein, magnesium (dark chocolate, oilseeds, etc.), iron (meat, fish, legumes, etc.), omega 3 (oily fish, cod liver oil)
- The importance of vitamin D, which can be obtained naturally through the sun and diet, but also through supplementation (prescribed by a doctor)
- Avoid excess sugar (we tend to gravitate towards so-called “comfort” foods when we’re feeling down) which is harmful to the nervous system and promotes mood swings.I always give the tip of eating a square of dark chocolate or some dried fruit when a sugar craving hits.“, concludes our interlocutor.
Thanks to Valérie Delenne, naturopath at Laboratoire NaturAvignon.