Managing Vacation Stress

Few people manage to avoid some level of stress during their vacation but the idea of a vacation is for the good times to outweigh the bad. A vacation should provide the time to relax, unwind and enjoy time away from the daily grind. In practice it can be anything but this even though all the elements of a good vacation are in place. Vacation stress can build up over a few days and peak over a day (Christmas for example) or it may drag over a period of weeks - typically during the summer.

The sources of stress are many and varied and, depending on the nature of your vacation, may sometimes be outside your personal control. Typically however the sources of stress involve money, people and situations. Money relates to affordability and is involved in gift buying, travel, clothing, tips, transportation, etc. People are invariably relatives or even friends, but stress can also come from the loss of loved-ones who used to be part of your circle. Situations can range from unfamiliar houses, to hotels to different countries, customs and languages. Add to this disruption in routine, change of diet, possible sickness and the elements for a stressful experience are all in place.

Symptoms of stress include headaches, nausea, upset stomach and bowel problems, headaches, worrying, feeling tired and unsettled, poor sleep or lengthy sleep periods and irritability. The sad fact is that many people would simply prefer not take a vacation at all and feel a huge burden lifted when the vacation is over.

If some or all of the aforementioned resonates with you, it's almost certain that you suffer vacation stress. In trying to turn things around it is important to appreciate that the answer for you is likely to be different to that of other people. We all have different stressors (the things that make us stressed) so it stands to reason that the intensity of our reactions will be unique. The first step in managing your vacation stress is to identify all the things that really get to you and that you dread. At this point it may be tempting to say "everything" but this is actually part of your problem. It means you have reached a point where the vacation has become a symbol of distress and that you find it an effort to even think about it in detail. However, by breaking down a big problem into its parts, you will have achieved your first step in controlling your stress.

Once you have your mental (or actual) list, work out exactly the effect these situations have on you. For example, do you get angry, do you sulk, do you get a migraine, or do you smoke more, take a drink or self-medicate? Now take just one of these issues and decide this will be your target for change. Don't worry that there are a pile of outstanding issues, they won't go away! You need to decide that you will reframe the way you view this particular situation and the way you react to it. This is particularly important if your response is unhealthy (anger, booze, smoking).