Beating the Post Vacation Blues

Sorry this post is coming so late!  Last week I returned home (NY) from San Diego....rather I returned from a consistently sunny, dry 74 degrees daily to a frozen over 24 degree Artic conditions zone.  While I was away, my friends and family said "not to come back" all in a joking fashion, but I knew that I was headed for disappointment when I boarded my plane back to New York.  Now I absolutely love NY; I don't think I can see myself living anywhere else.  I've done my fair share of traveling and visited some great places, but overall none compare to my NY and I've accepted this.  But, was coming home from "happiness" weather to "gloomy" weather difficult for me?  Absolutely.  I call this "post vacation blues."  I know most if not all of you are familiar with this feeling.  Think about how much you want to escape everything just days before you are about to go away.  Now when you finally return from that trip, chances are getting back into the daily grind will be substantially more difficult (and perhaps depressing) than before you left.  If you've had the vacation from hell, returning home will be joyous, but for the rest of us it can be plain difficult to resume normal life.  So how do we combat this?  Well if you love your home like I do, or at the very least find some aspects enjoyable (and being that you live there I'm sure there are elements you love) then returning back means rediscovering or reminding yourself why you've chosen to live in this location.  This means go to your favorite restaurant or get your favorite take-out.  Get together with friends for a fun night out.  Do the activities you enjoy the most ie visit a museum, sporting event or go to your favorite store for some retail therapy.  The point is, reunite yourself with all the aspects of home that make it amazing; remind yourself of all the joy that is there.  Wallowing in sadness and constantly reminding yourself of how much better your life was a week ago while you were away will only further depress you.  Unless you've returned home from Mykonos, Acapulco or Paris to collect your belongings for relocation,  the end of a trip is just that (it's not the end of your life).  So take your vacation, enjoy yourself and then fall in love with where you live.