Last Day of One’s Vacation Should be Spent On Rest

You, the hard worker left for a vacation and came back to work with some regrets.

“OK, let’s start again.” You sit on a chair with a deep breath, but you notice that you can’t even sit still for an hour. “What happened to me?” You try to calm yourself down with frequent coffee and cigarette breaks.

Finally the afternoon comes. “Was I sleepy like this before the vacation?” You can`t even recognize if the document you are looking at is filled with diagrams or text, or if the voice on the other end of the phone is Korean or English.

Many people complain about post-vacation headaches and stomach problems after they come back to work. Although in rare cases, some people even get exhausted.

Post-vacation syndrome is back again this year. You, the ultimate vacationer, after a vacation well-spent, should now concentrate on overcoming post-vacation syndrome.

Take a Day of Rest Before Returning to Work-

A certain Mr. Lee who works in an architect’s office went to the east with his family for a vacation. He wanted to stay at home, to be honest, but he couldn’t betray his kids’ expectations [of going to the beach] since he hasn’t had much quality time at home with them because of his hectic work schedule.

His vacation was spent mostly in taking care of his kids at the beach. At the end of the vacation, he felt stiffness in his neck and his whole body ached because he had a tight schedule, which required him to have 120 percent more physical activity than usual.

At least the last day of a vacation should be spent taking a rest. However, no matter how tired you may be, lying in bed all day is not advisable. Three or four stretching routines should be done during the resting day. You should also try to increment your workload gradually for three or four days right after the vacation. Don’t be too anxious and restart yourself at work with 70 percent of your pre-vacation workload.

Go Back to Your Usual Daily Rhythm–

A certain Ms. Kwon (28) who works in a public relations department in a department store is a DVD fan. She spent all her vacation days at home with no regrets.

She immersed herself day and night into many films on DVD, which she had bought, but not even had time to unwrap. She was happy for having a good rest as she wanted, but it is hard to go back to the work schedule of waking up early and staying up late. As the Olympic games have just started, she is worried that her night owl habits from the vacation might continue.

A certain Mr. Chae (30) who finally made a long anticipated trip to Northern Europe is now suffering from jet lag. He feels very sleepy and distracted during the day. Good memories of the trip lead him to daydreams and left him unmotivated as well.

For his case, going back to a normal sleeping pattern is an urgent must. He should not make any appointments in the evening for about a week. He also should go home early to rest, take a warm bath, and do some casual reading. Avoiding TV and listening to calming music and doing meditation to calm down are also helpful for people like him.

Taking minerals and vitamins will help normalize body functions. In that sense, he should eat a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables.

Be Wary of the Mini Post-Vacation Syndrome-

Some might experience post-vacation syndrome every Monday as the five-day work week has been introduced in many work places.

The fundamental perception about a vacation should be changed. Experts point out that many people overwork their bodies to play too hard during their vacations, and that is the biggest cause of post-vacation syndrome. In other words, an ambitious vacationer who plans an extremely tight vacation schedule to squeeze 100 percent of the good times out of one’s vacation, is actually in danger of having the syndrome.

Maybe we should learn to enjoy the easy and lazy vacation our body wants. We can spend a “well-being vacation” that fits the bill of recharging ourselves only when we are free from the impatience, which doesn’t allow us to be lazy.

(Assistance from: Professor Yoo Tae-woo, Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Family Medicine, Professor Gang Hee-chul, Yonsei University Medical School Severance Hospital, Department of Family Medicine, Professor Jin Young-soo, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Sports Medicine Center)

TK Sohn sohn@donga.com