Post-holiday depression: what is it and what are its effects?

These are the characteristics and emotional effects of post-holiday depression.

Post-holiday depression is an example of the extent to which our emotional well-being is linked to our habits and routines.

Once we have become accustomed to a way of life in which leisure and moments of relaxation take precedence, "changing the chip" to get back into our work role can be hard.

In this article we will look at what exactly is post-holiday depression and how it affects us.

What is post-holiday depression?

Post-holiday depression is an alteration of the state of mind that many people suffer when finishing their vacations, or when they see that they have very little time left of "disconnection" of the work and soon they will have to return to the work routine.

It is an experience linked to emotional discomfort and cannot be explained by medical complications or by the changes in the body produced by the new routine of leaving the vacation behind (going to sleep at different times, eating different kinds of food and at different times of the day, etc.).

Post-holiday depression is generally considered not to be a serious mental health problem, and it goes away on its own after a few days or a couple of weeks.

This is mainly because its main causes have to do with the change of routines and contexts to which the person is exposed on a daily basisOnce some time has passed, the individual returns to adapt physically and psychologically to this daily routine in which work and professional aspects have a strong presence. This readjustment process is usually unconscious and automatic, but sometimes it is necessary to take deliberate measures to accelerate it or even to have professional psychological support.

Effects of post-holiday depression

As we will see below, post-holiday depression does not become a psychological disorder, and this is partly because the type of discomfort it produces is not sufficiently intense and with characteristics of its own to delineate a clear psychopathology..

However, it has been seen that, in many people, a series of significant emotional alterations arise during the days following the end of the vacation (or even starting just before the end of the vacation period). Among these alterations, the following stand out.

• Rumination related to melancholy: the person feels bad to evoke over and over again the memories of what he/she experienced on vacation and that he/she can no longer experience in the present.
• Indecisiveness in time management: the person feels frustrated by having trouble organizing him/herself.
• Lack of motivation: difficulties arise in getting involved in day-to-day tasks once the vacation is over.
• Feelings of guilt: it is common for the person to feel guilty for not having taken better advantage of their vacation.

In addition to these psychological phenomena, there is often a physiological alteration: altered biorhythms: as a result of the need to adopt a new schedule, many people feel drowsy when they have to perform and have trouble falling asleep when they go to bed. In combination with the above, the person's mood drops considerably.

How does it differ from clinical depression?

As I have advanced, post-vacation depression does not belong to the group of what is technically considered a real depression, if we rely on the criteria established in the diagnostic manuals of psychopathologies.

That is to say that the term "post-holiday depression", although it describes a state of discomfort, does not constitute a depressive disorder..

Although some of the symptoms may overlap and be present in both psychological phenomena, clinical depression (also called "major depression") is a serious psychopathology that significantly damages the quality of life of those who have developed it and that lasts for months. In addition, in this type of mood disorder, there is a risk that the person may feel so bad that he or she may attempt to end his or her life through suicide attempts.

To summarize, the main symptoms of major depression are the following (although they do not necessarily occur all at the same time):

• General demotivation and inability to feel illusion for any project.
• Tendency to social isolation in free time, even with the family.
• Complete or partial inability to feel pleasure.
• Tendency to catastrophic thoughts and sense of hopelessness.
• Suicidal ideation.
• Constant fatigue.
• Psychological rumination based on self-deprecation and/or feelings of guilt.
• Trouble sleeping on time.

In comparison, post-holiday depression is not as mentally debilitating, much less likely to lead to suicide attempts. However, both problems can be However, both problems can be reason enough to seek psychological therapy (in fact, in the (in fact, in the case of clinical depression, it is essential to seek professional help as soon as possible in all cases).

Looking for professional psychological support?

If you are going through difficult times and are looking for a psychologist, I invite you to get in touch with me..

My name is Tomás Santa Cecilia and I specialize in the cognitive-behavioral intervention model. I attend individuals and companies both in person at my office in Madrid, as well as through online sessions by video call.