Welcome back everyone and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the beautiful long hot days of summer! The vacation was most certainly pleasant since we didn’t have to do assignments and commute long distances in crowded buses and subways; wasn’t it the perfect time for a break? Now standing in front of a door to a brand new semester, I’m sure that some of us, including myself, are feeling the ‘post-vacation blues’. Whether you’ve had the opportunity to spend your summer like a true holiday or you’ve had to spend it working, studying or maybe even doing nothing, it does sound a bit frightening knowing that we have to get back to the daily university routine when we’ve become so used to being laid-back.
The term ‘post-vacation blues’ only actually refers to a type of mood that a person may feel after returning from a pleasurable trip, but variations exist with names like ‘back-to-school blues’ and ‘post extra-long weekend blues’. Fundamentally, it is a type of depressed mood a person may feel after having to return to their normal schedule after a break. Drowsiness, a loss of appetite, sadness and the inability to settle down to normal tasks are common symptoms.
Post-vacation blues has no actual cure because it is all in our minds how we deal with it. For those who feel the ‘blues’ here are a couple of tips that will help you restore your routine. Keep in mind that they are not instantaneous solutions to these feelings!

1) Feeling the ‘blues’ is okay- Whether we’ve had the ideal break or not, let’s admit that we all did love our summer vacation. Thus returning to the ordinary routine away from the freedom should be painful. So try not to be so harsh on yourself for a while and give your body and mind some time to get back!
2) Re-adjust your time- Your holiday habits of sleeping in until midday or staying up all night are probably some of the things you need to avoid for the semester. Re-set your biorhythm so that you are good to go for the fall semester.
3) Get a good balance- While a heavy workload might seem like a good distraction, it could backfire. You also need to maintain a healthy social life, so use the first couple of weeks to catch up with friends you haven’t had the chance to yet, or get more physical and come up with a work-out plan.
4) Change yourself- The end of the holidays is the ideal time to start a new self! It doesn’t have to be a serious or big change; it could just be a new way of thinking, a new skill, something new to which you can commit, or even a new look!
5) “This is not the END!”- Yes, yes it seems like an age away but the winter break will most definitely come. This makes it a good time to start planning for your next vacation, so go right ahead and even start saving up some money because looking forward to your vacation just might do the trick and help you face your blues.

 The key thing to remember is that everyone having returned from a long holiday is in the same position and is bound to feel the ‘blues’ and the only difference is the time duration. It is disappointing to see the end but we all know that back at university, we have friends and maybe some interesting lectures to look forward to. In addition, get over the sadness as fast as you can because time will fly and when you know you’ve worked hard during the semester, then you know you’ll have an amazing winter vacation which will be much more rewarding and well-deserved. Let’s think positively about the new semester and deal with the ‘blues’!

cocoasw@naver.com