Why You Might Feel Worse After a Vacation
(And What That Really Means)
Actual sunset from our cabin. The photo doesn’t do it justice.
I just spent 10 days in the mountains, soaking up the cool air and quiet.
My mornings were spent on the screened porch meditating in front of the fire, listening to the birds, and then shifting my attention to the mist lifting off the trees.
There were long hikes. Sunset dinners outside overlooking a vast mountain range. The sparkle of lightning bugs at night.
The kind of getaway people dream about when they search for “ways to reset your nervous system.”
So I figured I’d come home feeling… well-rested, reset, and refreshed.
You know the fantasy.
You change your scenery. Maybe even mix up your routine (see ya responsibilities and early mornings) with the expectation of coming back energized.
Refreshed.
Creative.
Ready to dive into the next project with fresh eyes.
NOPE. That’s not what happened.
Needless to say, there was a large gap between expectation and reality.
I came home and crashed.
Unimaginably tired. The kind of tired that makes you question whether eating is worth the effort. It was, and I did. No need to add hangry to the situation.
Frustrated. Overstimulated by Every. Single. Thing. Seriously, the frogs at home are obnoxiously loud.
Not exactly the post-vacation glow I had imagined.
It wasn’t travel fatigue or any of the usual excuses I use. It was confusing.
I started wondering: How did I go to the most peaceful place and come back more wound up than when I left?
I mean, it could be post-vacation blues. It’s a thing. However, this felt even more profound than that.
Then it clicked.
Maybe my vacation didn’t fail me. Maybe I was finally feeling what I hadn’t let myself feel before.
The way I get caught up in my schedule.
Running from place to place. Unwinnable games of beat the clock and to-do lists that are a setup for failure.
This is what I was coming back to. It’s a little like running into a brick wall. Or more like it running into me.
I wanted the peace and ease of vacation to continue once I got home.
I’d been pushing through for months. Holding everything together, while simultaneously desiring spaciousness and time to think and create, to become inspired.
It’s difficult for those two ways of being to co-exist.
I thought beauty and silence would lend itself to fulfilling my needs. Sort of like a snap of fingers - whola!
It’s so incredibly disappointing that real recovery, especially from stress, burnout, or creative depletion, doesn’t show up on command or grant you immediate aha moments after a 10-day mountain getaway.
If only resetting could be downloaded like a playlist. Unfortunately, my nervous system doesn’t know my calendar. I’m guessing yours doesn’t either.
However, if it does, please reach out and let me know how you do it!
What I’m learning is that sometimes, the first sign rest is starting to work is that you finally crash. Because now you can.
We talk a lot about being rested and rejuvenated from our vacations. Sharing a photo dump of our most recent excursion, naming all of the amazing sights and experiences.
We don’t talk enough about the crash.
About what it feels like when you come home from a break and feel worse, not better.
However, I think it deserves more attention, because it often reflects the truth of the fully lived experience.
The good news: That crash isn’t a problem. Although it’s less than ideal to go through. It is, however, part of the process.
So here are the questions I’m sitting with now:
What if the return is part of the reset too? What if the crash is begging for me to make some small change to my everyday life?
If you’re in that in-between place — not burnt out, not “back” either — here’s a mindfulness and creative prompt that doesn’t require clarity. Just curiosity.
Where did you expect to feel different by now… and what’s still waiting to shift?
Mindfully yours,
Sheila
Sheila Tucker is a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Heart Mind & Soul Counseling. She empowers clients who overthink, worry, and experience their fair share of anxiety to become more rooted in peace, ease, and confidence. When not in the office, you'll find her walking her pups or planning her next mountain getaway with her husband.
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