How to manage holiday hangovers at work

Mint

7 days ago

Viraj Kapadia, who takes a weeklong vacation every six months, recently returned from a hiking holiday in Meghalaya. The Lonavala-based architect is an associate at Localground, a Pune-based architecture practice, his daily office commute taking 3-4 hours. After a holiday, the 29-year-old finds it challenging to transition back to work mode. 'I wish I could feel more excited about working after a break, but it is difficult to get back to work and commuting," he says. While he may be unenthused initially, easing back into his schedule and regular weekend hikes help him readjust and switch off periodically.
It's common to experience holiday hangovers. Temporary feelings of anxiety, dread, sadness and listlessness are indicative of post-vacation syndrome. Besides getting time to rest, time away from work also provides an opportunity to reflect, break old habits, and to include some of these insights and practices when we return to our regular schedules. But it can be challenging, after some initial enthusiasm, to sustain better habits—like less screentime, quality sleep, a better diet, more movement—that one might have adopted during a break. How do you stay committed to your holiday gains when back to hectic office schedules? It's not impossible. Various professionals share how they manage their return to work after a holiday.
Transition tips
A 2020 survey of 1,100 American workers by American software company Zapier revealed that 87% experienced post-vacation syndrome. Some of the least anticipated tasks included returning to the routine (37%), administrative work (31%), and dealing with an avalanche of unread emails (26%).
Kapadia tries to ease into his work by relegating the first 4-5 post-vacation days to simpler tasks and then tackling more complex work. The quality of your vacation also impacts your return to work. Noida-based public relations professional Bhumika Rawal, 21, takes a break in her hometown every 3-4 months, most recently for a week in June. 'During my holidays, I make sure that everything is quiet and calm. I spend quality time with my family, enjoy being pampered with home cooked food, and only work if it is urgent," she says, highlighting the need to disengage from work while on a break, something with which many working professionals struggle with. Working on holiday or overloading your schedule leads to feeling exhausted and insufficiently recharged. Building in a day or weekend back home before resuming work, rather than returning from holiday the night before, can also help to ease back into the schedule.
The quality of his two-week trek in the Himalaya this April helped Rajesh Vorkady, CEO and founder of Bengaluru-based marketing agency Veeville, return to work rejuvenated. He thought being disconnected from work during the trip would lead to struggling to catch up later. 'But I found myself completely charged and eased back to work much calmer, happier, creative and ridiculously more productive," he says.
Trying to plunge back into your daily work routine immediately, taking on too much to make up for the time away, or going straight into meetings can be overwhelming and can undo the relaxation achieved during your break. 'What helps me ease back into the schedule is starting with a few simple tasks to get back into the flow, and making sure I have a clear plan for the week ahead," says Sagar Goel, managing partner at telecom contracting company Villamar Technical Services in Victoria, Canada.
Taking a coffee break with a colleague to catch up on what you missed or to swap holiday stories; prioritising time-sensitive emails rather than answering everything immediately; and taking breaks at regular intervals, are other, seemingly small, actions that can be surprisingly helpful in easing back into your schedule.
Sticking with the good
A break also gives us the chance to reflect, rediscover or develop habits, take up a hobby, or just spend quality time with loved ones or on selfcare. Vorkady's lifestyle has become more active after his recent vacation and he has been successful in staying committed to new habits. 'I am enjoying myself. After my break, my only resolve was to stay physically more active and I have eased myself into that regimen with zero resistance." Achieving this balance has helped him at work, where juggling the tasks on his extra-long list is no longer overwhelming.
For Goel, switching off digitally during vacations made him realise how much better he felt when not constantly checking messages or emails. 'Since then, I've tried to set clearer boundaries—like not answering work emails past a certain time in the evening—which has helped reduce stress and improved my overall focus." He is now more intentional about carving out time for hobbies, especially hiking, which started as something he did only during breaks from work but is now part of his regular weekend routine.
Kapadia has always enjoyed being outdoors, but this year he too has started regular weekend hikes and committed to spending more time outside in nature. 'I also run 'Outdoorsy Lonavala' where I take people for treks in and around the area," he says. Lonavala's natural beauty is something he took for granted earlier, preferring to spend his weekends lazing on the couch. 'But now I look forward to getting outside." These breaks from work have helped him strike a better work life balance. 'I leave work on time, and spend more time with friends and families. These trips make me realise the importance of making memories."
But our resolve is often weakened once our hectic schedules take over. It does not, however, have to be an 'all-or-nothing" scenario. 'I usually start strong, telling myself I'll keep up the long walks, the no-screen time before bed, or the sense of calm I felt. But once work picks up, most of that slips pretty quickly," says Goel. The key for him is setting small, realistic boundaries—like no work after a certain hour, or keeping weekends free—and sticking to them. He also tries not to be too hard on himself if he slips up on some of his healthy habits, choosing to pick one or two small things to sustain, rather than replicating the whole vacation vibe. Like stepping out for some fresh air during the day or being more intentional about taking breaks. 'It's not perfect, but even a little bit helps keep that post-holiday feeling alive a bit longer."
Rawal has also struggled with sticking to daily exercise or sleeping earlier, routines she found easier when on holiday. 'As the days pass, procrastination overrules everything." But she has continued with daily journaling, inspired by someone she met on a holiday. 'It's not just about documenting the good and bad days; journaling helps me reflect on mistakes and learn from the past."
These lasting impressions from a holiday can help achieve a better work-life balance and make post-vacation syndrome less stressful. The small changes you make each time—moving more, switching off from work emails after hours, or reading a book at bedtime instead of doomscrolling—can be greatly restorative in the long term. 'It's not always easy to continue these habits, but every break gives you a fresh chance to figure out what helps you recharge and bring some of that calm back home," says Goel.
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