Why Post-Vacation Depression Doesn't Exist

September arrives and all kinds of media and "TV psychologists" begin to repeat one of the most widespread mantras of "popular psychology": post-vacation depression.

Of all the disorders invented by click-bait media and self-help booksellers, post-vacation depression may be the most widespread of all.

In this article I will explain why post-vacation depression doesn't exist as such, and what is the real problem that we should pay attention to after finishing our vacation.

• Related article: "The 6 types of mood disorders"

Pathologizing life

The depression It is a highly studied psychiatric disorder that can reach levels of some severity. Millions of people around the world suffer from it. That is why many psychologists are outraged that he trivializes himself by putting taglines on it as "post-vacation."

If you did not have depression in August, it will not fall from the sky just because the holidays are over. And if there were indeed symptoms of depression, it was probably already manifesting itself long before the holidays.

It is a very common phenomenon, to coin a term to label people who suffer from certain very common symptoms. For example, the stress or the little desire to end the summer or Christmas holidays.

Symptoms of the so-called "post-vacation depression" they are so ambiguous and common that the difficult thing is not to self-diagnose it when returning from the beach.

But, is it really pathological that you feel little desire to go back to work after the holidays? Can the label or diagnosis of depression be applied to me? Seriously?

Well, in the vast majority of cases, no.

• You may be interested in: "The 6 differences between sadness and depression"

Preferring vacations to working is natural

The post-vacation depression gives material to write articles (like this one you are reading right now), get clicks and even sell the occasional self-help book.

But the reality is that being somewhat sad to go back to work in September (or January) is not at all pathological. It is the natural result of the transition between phases and stations. Most of us really enjoy disconnecting from work and the usual routine for a few days or weeks. It is normal. It is exciting, it is relaxing.

So when that especially pleasant season (and expected for most of the year) is over, it is 100% natural that we feel a certain downturn, that we long for good times in the pool or the photos we took in places new.

So no, if you feel little desire to go back to the office after the holidays, you don't have to suffer from any psychiatric pathology: you are probably the most mundane person in the neighborhood.

• Related article: "Closed for vacations! The psychological need to rest "

You don't have to like your work

That we like (a lot) our work is a privilege, it is fortunate. The culture of "motivational coaching" or "positive psychology" has been feeding people's expectations to extreme levels.

When many people want to "find their passion" and that every day is a roller coaster of emotions and success... with those high expectations on top, the most normal thing is that we feel disappointment most of the time.

I am a psychologist, and I am aware of the immense luck that I have to be able to work from something that I enjoy. But if I had a choice, I too would have lengthened my vacation a little longer. I am also lazy to go back to the routine. I don't wake up every day with a huge desire to work. There are better days and worse days.

With work (and with almost everything else in life) we can't blind ourselves in a vision of black / white or all / nothing. I can really like my job, I can like my vacations in the north a lot more. Or what most people probably experience: your work doesn't arouse any particular passion, you don't love it.

For you, your job is only a means to earn money so that you can pay the bills and allow yourself time for the other things that you are passionate about or enjoy.

And that's okay. There's nothing wrong. It is the most common. Just because you don't jump for joy at the prospect of going back to the office, shop, or workshop doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong..

• You may be interested in: "Psychology of work and organizations: a profession with a future"

Normalize sadness and other unpleasant emotions

There is nothing wrong with feeling sad or not wanting to do something. On the contrary, the more we try to cover or block those emotions, to convince ourselves that we do not feel those things, the worse we will feel in the long term.

It is no failure. On the contrary. The sooner we accept that we do not enjoy something (and that this is natural) the sooner we can mobilize our resources to adapt to that unpleasant situation in the most dignified way possible.

There I think is precisely the challenge for many people: learn to adapt to the challenge with dignity, without forcing yourself to be a Tony Robbins or some other "always motivated" guru.

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