Pulp How-To: Curing the Post-Holiday Blues
By Nicolette Petra
Sleep it off
There’s nothing like coming home to your own bed after a holiday. If you, like half of Sydney, participated in this year’s mass exodus to Europe for the summer, then you’re probably jetlagged from the hellish day-long trip back to reality. If not (first of all, how?! Tell us your secrets! and second), then at the very least, you’re likely exhausted from pulling all-nighters with your pals. You know that this semester is going to involve a whole lot more all-nighters, albeit in front of a computer rather than dancing with a drink in hand, so catch up on sleep while things are still mellow. Midsems will be here before you know it.
Go out with friends and family
Keep the fun times alive by catching up with family and friends who were stuck in Sydney. Alternatively, if you’re missing your holiday squad now that you’re back home, it’s time to organise a brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks, dancing – anything to keep the holiday going.
Embrace the fact you’ve become the ‘I just came back from Europe’ meme
It might be crushing not to be jetsetting anymore, but while you were living your best life on holidays, your friends and fam back home were dealing with temperatures of 10 degrees and retweeting ‘I’m in Spain. The S is silent.’ Post-holiday blues might be heavy, but I promise the non-holiday blues are worse. Your Instagram grid is crushing it with stellar sunset shots and girls/boys trip pics, and your tan is a dead giveaway that you were anywhere but home this past month. You’re basically a walking meme. Find joy in the memories you made, and in the fact you can slip things like this into conversations now:
‘I just got back from [insert holiday destination] and…’
‘Omg, I need a siesta right about now.’
‘Wow, Sydney is so boring. In Europe things don’t start up until midnight.’
Do things you couldn’t on holiday
Whether you were constantly on the go or slothing-out by the pool, there are some things you simply can’t do when on holidays. Settle back into daily life by getting back into routine. Exercise, binge a series on Netflix, or get that haircut you desperately need before jumping back into work and uni.
Become a connoisseur
Remind yourself of the incredible food you had while frolicking through Italy or traipsing through Singapore, by incorporating elements or entire meals into your day. Forego the overpriced avo on toast and instead scope out the best cultural restaurants and cafes in Sydney to add that holiday flavour to your life. You’ll probably end up being that person who says things like “It’s not like how they do it in [insert holiday destination here], but it’s close enough,” but honestly, who cares if you’re sipping the best macchiato in the CBD while you say it?
Get uni-ready
Unfortunately, holidays can’t last forever, and nothing makes this more obvious than the return to uni. Print out those units of study, buy those textbooks (RIP your bank account) and dust off your laptop. You might spend most of your lectures daydreaming about your whirlwind summer romance, but on the bright side, you probably bought a bunch of on-sale winter clothes on your getaway, so you’ll look super cute doing it.
Plan your next trip
If after all these tips, you’re still feeling the blues, then you probably have a bad case of itchy feet. The only cure? Pick your next holiday destination, weekend away or overnight trip. Start scrolling through Expedia and Booking.com whenever you have a spare moment. Take on an extra job or rev up the side hustle to fund your holiday addiction. It’ll be well worth it when you’re adventuring in some exotic location with your mates a year from now.