When You Need a Vacation After Your Vacation
Ever get back from vacation and feel more stressed than before you left? Or end the summer, looking back and wondering how it went by so fast and how you are now going to manage "getting back to normal".
This is not just in your head. Often we get swept away planning for amazing trips and events for the summer. We look forward to the excitement of our plans. Try to make the most of those moments. Vacations provide psychological, physiological, and cognitive benefits through breaking up the cycle of sustained work.
Evidence proves better sleep quality, reduced cortisol levels and helping to offset the chronic impact of ongoing stress. There’s no doubt vacations are needed. But why then can we feel so down after a vacation or sluggish getting into routines?
Science has helped us understand that there is a means of optimizing the positive effects of vacations. Key factors include:
Frequency of vacations
Length of Vacation
Planned Return to Regular Activities
So how often do you really need a vacation? Evidence shows that frequent, shorter vacations are more impactful and help maintain a healthy recovery period. Suggested frequency is time to disconnect (truly disconnect from work) every two months. This does not mean you need to travel, there’s benefit in enjoying your home, friends and family close by or just catching up on things you love and run out of time for when busy with work.
Studies indicate the period after a vacation can be referred to as the “fade-out period”. This is when the positive effects begin to subside and can take anywhere from three days to four weeks to feel back in the stress cycle of work and personal demands. Now, speaking from personal experience, there have been many times where I jumped right back into work after a long trip, finding my desk piled high, email box full, and a never ending list of things to do including extra cleaning at home.
So how to avoid the fade-out period, make a plan. Use your calendar and plan for after vacation like it’s a continuation of the preplanning. If you can, block an extra day for the extra laundry, cleaning, meal prepping, etc. If you can’t block a full day, help plan ahead. I have a friend who always has a frozen meal ready to go for her family when they get back from their trip. She preps and freezes everything so when they get home, they’re not spending more money eating out and get to enjoy their first home cooked meal without stress.
Slowly get back into filling up your schedule when you return. But make sure there are things to look forward to after the trip. Maybe it’s the run club you love, a puppy yoga event with a friend, or going out to a favorite restaurant. Something that brings you joy at home, and bonus points for reconnecting with nature (or a massage)! Time to relax, reflect and enjoy the times you had will help prolong those memories made.
The key is to plan ahead, past the trip to the return. Give yourself grace, enjoy the moments away from work and while you start returning to your amazing daily life! And my favorite go to; start thinking about the next trip after you get back from this one! What can I say, I am a Sagittarius!
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_post_vacation_stress_and_sadness
So Electrolytes Aren’t Just for Athletes?
For the longest time, when I heard the word electrolytes, I associated it with working out. Thinking the only time I needed to worry about drinking electrolytes was after hitting the gym hard. With not liking the taste of Gatorade, even after a good workout, I would most likely pass on electrolytes, hoping the peanut butter and banana smoothie would get me through.
In reality, I had no idea what the word electrolytes actually meant or why it mattered. But a month after turning 30, completing my first half marathon, then traveling to Mexico like I was still 22; I found myself spending the following week stuck in a bathroom, sure I was dying. I was careful on the trip and ate the same food and drinks as my sister who was fine. I thought maybe it was the ice in that one fateful margarita. Or maybe her 27 year old body is still able to keep up with a pace my 30s wouldn’t allow.
When I finally gave in to a trip to quick care, I was quickly told I needed electrolytes to help with severe dehydration. The remedy: to drink sodium based electrolytes such as Gatorade (yuck!). I opted for propel and what do you know, $200 and 48 hours later I felt back to normal!
So what are electrolytes and why are they so vital to our bodies? Our cells utilize electrolytes to conduct electrical charges helping create chemical reactions, specifically for our muscles to contract and to properly hydrate and balance fluids in our cells. The key elements of electrolytes are sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride. We obtain these elements through our food and drinks naturally but sometimes things can get off balance. This can be especially true with weather changes and activity levels.
It is always good to talk to your doctor and check these levels if you are concerned. Key times to check your electrolytes is after lifestyle changes or if you are feeling more fatigued, experiencing muscle cramps, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth or irregular heartbeat.
Now, you already know Gatorade is not my favorite source for electrolytes. And honestly, when you’re active or need to increase your electrolyte intake any bottle or dissolvable package of electrolytes can become pricey. My favorite way to get extra electrolytes without a price tag came from an old Chiropractor I worked with in Las Vegas.
It’s a simple recipe:
8 oz of water
Two turns of a Himalayan salt grinder
One lemon sliced in half, squeezed and added to the water
I’d love to hear in the comments if you’ve ever experienced your electrolyte levels being off and if you try the recipe to make your own electrolyte water!
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/21790-electrolytes
Arnica, not Arsenic
I remember watching Arsenic and Lace with my Dad growing up. It was a favorite movie of his and provided teachable moments, something that comes naturally to him. The first question was, and should have been, why the women were killing the men. But shortly after that I found myself clarifying what was killing the men. I grew to understand that nature is intended to be respected and to ensure that what was consumed, was in fact safe.
To clarify, I do not have a vast knowledge in herbs. With my own healing journey and career, I have learned about some natural remedies including herbs. Arnica is one such example. This perennial plant has been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries. The most commonly seen species, Arnica montana, has been studied for potential medical properties with positive results.
The most recognizable uses for arnica are to assist with joint and muscle pain, inflammation, and arthritis. So it is no wonder why arnica and massage therapy have become the perfect pairing! Topical application is considered low risk and comes in various forms such as oil, gel, creams, and roll-ons.
Although, arnica may be ingested, this has a greater risk of toxicity and adverse effects. It is also important to note that arnica can thin your blood. So, if you recently had surgery, are taking a blood thinner, or are taking medication for high blood pressure, it is best to avoid arnica. If you are allergic to sunflowers, it is wise to use caution when using topical arnica for the first time as the flowers are members of the same family. It is also wise to speak with a doctor about use while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Studies indicate that arnica has less adverse effects, is more cost efficient and has comparable pain management results to standard medications such as ibuprofen. Despite the promising information about arnica, there is still a lack of data which is why it is not always recommended by doctors. Homeopathic remedies such as using arnica may have been around for centuries but that does not mean that we fully understand how and why they work.
References and studies about arnica are linked below. I’d love to hear if you have ever tried this remedy topically or orally and what your experience has been! Comment and let me know your thoughts about arnica and in general using homeopathic remedies that are not fully understood by modern science. Is this something you would feel safe trying?