text: Post-vacation syndrome (PVS) is a real syndrome that involves emotional and psychological effects. While going off on vacation is fun and relaxing, dealing with the feelings of letdown after your vacation is stressful and depressing for most people. The following tips will help you overcome that letdown feeling before you go away.\n\n1. Prepare to return to a clean house.\n\n\nComing back to a clean and orderly house will keep your good feelings up. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do the work yourself, however. You can hire a maid to clean and organize your home 1-2 days before you leave or return.\n\n2. Set aside 15 minutes a day to read your e-mail.\n\n\nContrary to popular opinion, not responding to your e-mail is stressful during a vacation. Most of us dread the deluge of e-mails that we must face when we get back, particularly if you run a business or enterprise. The dread of having all that e-mail to respond to when you get back is overwhelming; taking a few minutes a day to do this will lessen the pressure and stress of having to do it all when you return. The key here is to take NO MORE than 15 minutes a day.\n\n3. Plan fun time into your first week back.\n\n\nWhether it's going to the movies, reading a book, or taking a hike, having an activity that you can look forward to will help ease the transition back into your everyday routine.\n\n4. Develop your photographs as soon as you get home.\n\n\nDeveloping your photos immediately will keep you in the spirit of the pleasurable vacation time longer.\n\n5. Plan your next vacation on your return trip home.\n\n\nAgain, this gives you something to look forward to and prolongs the relaxing effects of the wonderful time you just had.\n\n6. Plan to work only 1-2 extra hours/day upon your return.\n\n\nMost of us quickly undo the beneficial effects and feelings of our vacations by immersing ourselves in 12-15 hour days when we get back in order to catch up. Planning just an extra 1-2 hours keeps you on top of the workload without rapidly becoming exhausted.\n\n7. Adjust your client schedule.\n\n\nIf you're in a service industry (such as coaching), adjust your client schedule for that month so that you don't have to play catch-up for sessions missed. For example, if you usually coach clients 4 times/month, plan to coach only 3 times that month. Of course, this will entail adjustments on your fees as well but it is well worth the degree of stress you can eliminate from your routine.\n\n8. Play music reminders.\n\n\nPlaying the music of the place where you've been is a soothing reminder of your pleasant vacation and keeps the memories alive longer.\n\n9. Talk about your vacation.\n\n\nTalking to others about your vacation keeps it in the forefront of your mind longer.\n\n10. Stay in touch with people you've met.\n\n\nAs busy as that first week back to work and routine is, it's a good time to make that phone call to 1-2 people you've promised to stay in touch with. Staying in touch keeps the vacation going over time, and it gives you an opportunity to develop new friendships too.