Post-holiday blues are a thing. Here are the best ways to deal with them

Peta Maitland is always down in the dumps when she gets back from holidays. Everyday life is dull in comparison, and her work routine boring. Vietnam, Cambodia, South America, India and Nepal - if Peta's been there, she's experienced the "post-holiday blues" afterwards.

"I always feel like I'm missing out on something, that I didn't get to see everything I wanted to. I always think - just one more day would have been good," she says.

Post-holiday blues, also called a post-holiday hangover, is really a thing, and is common when reality sets in post-trip.

According to Macquarie Health Collective founding CEO and psychologist, Tanya Forster, it's generally characterised by a feeling of sadness and fatigue that can occur not only after a trip, but also after a festive period.

"After a relaxing or enjoyable holiday, the transition back to our day-to-day routine can feel quite jarring, given the extra demands and responsibilities we suddenly face again," Forster says.

"We will often fantasise about our holiday and crave experiencing those moments and feelings again. The brain can also be very good at idealising the holiday and exaggerating how mundane day-to-day life is, meaning that sometimes we will experience these feelings, even if our holiday wasn't actually that relaxing!"

For Maitland, 43, from Western Sydney, it generally kicks in a few days after she returns and begins going back through her photos to put on Instagram. "I realise how much I saw, how much I missed out on seeing as I didn't have enough time," she says.

She gets moody, and starts to frantically look for the next destination. "I always like having a holiday to start planning. I can even be still in the country on the current holiday and suddenly there is another location I wish to see so I focus on that new destination once I'm back."

A Deakin University School of Psychology article by happiness expert and psychologist Dr Melissa Weinberg says post-holiday blues is actually a sign of healthy psychological functioning. Our brains trick us into thinking our holiday was all rosy even if it wasn't - remember all those stressful, missed connections and disappointing hotel rooms? Then, we experience an emotional slide as our mind attempts to restore our ordinary, optimal level of functioning.

"Outside of that on a practical note, it can also be helpful to think about things like our sleep routine. If we have been staying up late or having afternoon naps, sometimes that return to normal routine can feel extra jarring," she says.

If you are happy in your lifestyle overall and have taken practical steps to ease the return to work, "perhaps the best thing you can do to ease the blues is to have something else to look forward to - book another holiday!"