Post-holiday blues? Let hypnotherapy give you the answer

Returning from holiday, we are all familiar with that sinking feeling. As we get closer to home, there’s a horrible sense of anti-climax. It doesn’t matter whether we are jetting back from a paradise island, or cycling home from a campsite, bleak reality’s back with a boom. If you are wondering why you have post-holiday blues, let hypnotherapy give you an answer.

Why does getting back to normal life hurt so much? 

It’s not just the pile of washing and unopened bills. Naturally, these are a downer, but easily enough sorted. It goes deeper than that. When we are on holiday, with nothing to do all day but please ourselves, the reward-driven unconscious mind is content. In that mental domain, the more treats and pleasures we can cram in, the better. When the fun is suddenly gone, the unconscious suffers a painful jolt. 

When what is real and what is imagined are not differentiated

The unconscious doesn’t make much distinction between what is real and what is only imagined, so it can’t automatically adjust to ‘reality’. It might sound crazy, but in the unconscious, we should still be on holiday and the result is we feel perplexingly disconsolate on our return, mystified as to why we can’t easily pick up where we left off. 

Secretly ashamed, we avoid sharing with friends for fear of coming across as ungrateful, especially if they haven’t even had a day off the treadmill, let alone a week of luxuries. Instead, we battle the annoyed niggle from the unconscious and force ourselves to switch back on.

Why won’t the unconscious accept the holiday period is at an end?

The unconscious mind doesn’t ‘do’ time so it won’t relate to the idea of a holiday period being circumscribed by a set number of days. Sounds ridiculous? Remember the unconscious resides in the ancient, emotional part of the brain which does not recognise modern measurements like the clock or calendar. Our early ancestors knew light and dark. Timed flowed according to the movement of the sun and stars and tasks were done according to what was required, and what was feasible. They couldn’t say, ‘I’ll do it in a minute,’ or ask how long till lunch. The words didn’t exist. 

When we are on holiday, we are in our ancient, pleasure-loving brain. We switch off. We may even forget what day it is. The phone is in the drawer, the watch is off the wrist. Gratification is on the menu.

Still doubtful? Have you ever had a striking memory bubble up so real it could have happened a moment ago, but cognitively you know it took place decades back? That is because an emotional memory is stored in the ancient brain which, unlike our modern brain, does not file events chronologically. This emotionally loaded perception of time is built into the mechanisms of our primeval DNA and it is what blocks us from instantly tapping back into the ‘zone’.

What helps us transition to everyday life?

Annoyed self-talk to ‘just get on with it’ does no good at all. Though it is hard not to feel cross when the schedule triggers your heart to sink, the unconscious mind doesn’t respond to reason. Criticising ourselves is hopeless because the unconscious thinks we should search for our lost joys. In other words, being upset about no longer lying on the beach all day is not immature and petulant, but the correct way to be. Unlike our rational mind, it doesn’t judge what is viable and is driven by yearning for comfort and delight.

Rather than whipping ourselves back into shape, be patient with the unconscious processes involved in rebalancing the mind. As we relax, the two parts of our mind, conscious and unconscious, stop conflicting and before we know it, the battle’s over and we are enjoying life again. The less we pressure ourselves, the quicker this harmony comes.

Have more rest

Extra rest also really helps, not only because travel is physically tiring, but the emotional ‘re-tuning’ of the return also takes it out of us. If you are getting over jetlag, it is essential to allow enough downtime for your circadian rhythms to get back to normal.

Preserve some ‘holiday feelings’

Finding a fun thing to do each day, if only small, pleases your unconscious, and why not? A holiday can make us more aware that we are becoming too solemn, which is no bad wake-up call. Life has all too short a date. Pleasant diversions and entertainment can be built into our schedules, including nights away, giving us all that special something to look forward to.

I am still struggling to adjust weeks after getting home. Could hypnotherapy help me?

If, despite your best efforts, you are not getting back into the swing, and you notice yourself feeling increasingly worse rather than better, more might be at stake than you realise.

Here are some of the common obstacles which hypnotherapists, through utilising the resources of the unconscious mind – imagination, emotions, memory, habits and stress triggers – can help resolve. 

Are you in a rut?

Perhaps you’ve developed a lifestyle which used to work well but has become outgrown. This gradual alteration in perspective has crept up so unconsciously that it took the shake-up of a complete change of scene to admit that, yes, actually, we find our life pretty dull. This insight may lead to a matter-of-fact review of ways to carve out a new way of living, creating the compelling future that is waiting for you.

If, on the other hand, the idea of a lifestyle makeover engulfs you with dread, or seems so overwhelming that brain fog takes over, professional hypnotherapy may be well worth considering to identify and remove underlying fear and resistance. 

Are there relationship issues?

Perhaps you’ve been away with your partner and frictions have surfaced, as they sometimes do on holiday, and you feel taken for granted even though you know, deep down, the relationship is sound. 

You love your partner and value your life together, but feeling unappreciated by them may have roots that are deep and tangled. Perhaps the relationship has become a tad co-dependent, making us over-reliant for our contentment on our other half.

Seeing a hypnotherapist can help restore your self-belief and your confidence to assert yourself and rediscover the ‘real you.’ The hypnotherapist will focus on drawing out and reinforcing your unique qualities and strengths, which might have greyed out in coupledom. Enriching and expanding your sense of self will also do wonders for your relationship, creating even more bonding and togetherness.

Is your job the problem?

If you are going back to a career which bores, frustrates or scares you too much of the time, then a rethink is overdue. The acknowledgement that we are in the wrong job can be enough by itself to kick-start change. Or, the work may yet have potential, but for some unknown reason, we are dissatisfied and have unconsciously formed self-harming habits for self-protection. These responses are, at their unconscious roots, well-intentioned, but have the opposite effect in practice, and inadvertently we end up feeling even more bottled-up, or resentful. 

Whether it’s better to grasp the nettle and execute a well-considered exit strategy, or remain in post after putting constructive changes in place, a hypnotherapist will guide you. They can negotiate you through the maze of possibilities, conscious and unconscious, that are contributing to your predicament at work. Either way, it won’t be too long before you’re back in the driving seat, headed in the right direction for you. 

What if you still don’t know what is wrong?

If your unconscious mind senses something of paramount significance in your life is broken, going back after a brief escape might be the last straw. You can’t put your finger on why, but you feel depressed and anxious, have lost interest in activities you once loved, suffer disturbed dreams, or feel haunted that something bad is about to happen. 

A hypnotherapist can help you figure out what is out of kilter in your life by using the resources of the unconscious mind to identify the symbolic messages trying to get through to the shores of your consciousness. These messages may appear in disguised form. They are trying to guide us but can’t do so directly because they threaten our long-cherished beliefs and habits. If the messages were delivered in ‘plain-speak’ they would be immediately axed. 

A professional hypnotherapist employs various techniques to interpret these messages, or as Shakespeare puts it, ‘By indirection find direction out.’ Once we understand what our state of mind is telling us, and accept it, sparkling opportunities present themselves – and in the most unlikely of places!

If something is bothering you, don’t struggle alone. An appointment with a professional hypnotherapist who can help you access the awesome power of your mind might be exactly what you require. Just a handful of sessions could transform your life.