I have recently come back from a two-week holiday/travelling experience to Borneo. Two weeks full of rain forest hiking, island hopping, wildlife watching and being spoilt by spending all of that precious time with my long distance boyfriend, suddenly came to an abrupt end the moment we landed at London Heathrow. Having had two weeks of living in my own bubble, away from everything had become a luxury I wasn’t ready to let go of.
As soon as we were back in the UK, those toxic, anxious and negative feelings of coming back to reality after living in my very own dreamland hit me hard. My natural reaction and how I normally deal with things is to retreat and bottle everything up. I become quiet and reserved. And it becomes painstakingly obvious that something is wrong, even if I keep denying it. My boyfriend knows me well enough to know that something is up and that I’m keeping it in.
And eventually, all of those bottled emotions are pent up for too long, wanting to be released. The consequence of that, I crumble. It gets too much and too difficult to deal with. Everyone who has been away, turned off and completely lived life in the moment will know how challenging it is to come back to your reality, back to work and back to any worries or negative strands of your life.
So for all of you who suffer from grounding back to reality after an amazing travelling experience, holiday or just a few days of being in your own bubble, follow these tips to help alleviate the pain.
- Get back into your routine
This was the key for me. Getting back into my daily routine of exercise, meditation and diet made a whole lot of difference. Being out of a routine for a while and trying to get back into it can be difficult and requires a lot more willpower than it did before. But it’s the best way to get back to your normal self and stabilises any emotional or negative mindsets. It gives you focus, motivation and keeps you aligned with your priorities. If you don’t yet have a routine, check out my article on how to implement a morning routine here. - Talk it through with someone
Letting all of your worries and doubts go through talking to someone will give you a fresh perspective on them. Don’t be afraid to tell someone how you’re feeling or that you are having trouble readjusting after being away, it’s natural. You will feel instantly better once you have opened up to someone and unattached from your own thoughts. - Sleep
Travelling, in particular, is very taxing on the body and we’re often completely out of sync with our sleep pattern, even after a nice relaxing holiday. Being in different sleeping environments takes time to adjust to, so make sure you give yourself sleeping time to recover and repair. And dedicate some additional sleep hours to catch up. You won’t regret it. - Rethink your goals
This might sound like an odd tip, but if you have just been away and you’re coming back to a job you hate or you suddenly feel that you don’t want to be stuck in your day to day life, write down some new life goals. You’ve been away and come back to a life that doesn’t excite you – so what are you going to do about it? Write down the life you do want to live. Capture all the inspirational things you want to accomplish and take some time to reflect on what you do want. Follow a guide to creating smart goals here.
Take some time to readjust back to reality, and think about anything you might want to change for the better.
For further tips and insights head over to The Evolve Project – your hub for personal development.