That’s it. The money is spent, the memories are captured on your devices and in your hearts, but the process of returning to ordinary life after a period of increased energy and interactions on your vacation can be rather sad.
But fear not! This guide is intended for you if you find yourselves in these emotional depths at the end of what has been a lovely chunk of time away and just want to feel better. As you will learn from these unique ideas for how to bring the feel of a vacation into your home, or how to plan the next romantic trip, I will show you different approaches on how to rekindle the passion and intimacy in your relationship.
Recognizing and Understanding Post-Vacation Blues
The period after the holidays can be quite an intricate state in terms of emotions for LGBT couples. Accompanying celebration comes a swift plunge to the low phase as everyone goes back to their normal routines. This is not an unlikely scenario and may be attributed to any of the following causes. The transition from the relaxation and social atmosphere of the vacation to the regular work week can be quite drastic. LGBT couples, for example, might experience such a transition as being further amplified by familial conflict, social pressure, or perceived marginalization, especially if your trip involves visiting loved ones.
Recreating Vacation Moments at Home
A good strategy to deal with post-holiday depression is to try to bring back the atmosphere you enjoyed during your vacation into your daily life. This doesn’t mean going overboard and returning to a celebration that is unrealistic but rather, incorporate the things that made you happy while on your vacation in your daily routine. For same-sex couples, this is a chance to come up with an environment that is positive both socially and sexually as they did when on holiday.
Try to take meals that you would prepare during holidays or any other time you are on a journey. If there was a special dish that you had in a restaurant while on your trip, search for the recipes and cook it together. It also helps to create an enjoyable activity that could be done with your partner and also helps to recall the good moments of your vacation. It can be taken a step further and become a weekly event where you have a “vacation dinner night” and cook foods from different places you have been or would like to go.
Creating Themed Date Nights
Extend the idea of recreating vacation memories by setting up themed date nights based on your travels or dream trips. This can be especially poignant if you felt less able to be affectionate in public while in areas where they are recognized as equals. It is easy to produce such an environment at home and therefore one can be able to continue with the same feeling of freedom.
For instance, if you were recently in Paris during dinner, you should arrange a French-style dinner on the lawn of your house. Turn on the disco lights, put some French tunes on, sip some French wine with some French cheese, and maybe even watch a French movie. Or if you enjoyed a luxurious hotel on a beach, make your backyard or balcony into a tropical oasis complete with beach towels, umbrella drinks, and tropical tunes. All one has to do is try to use all the senses in order to make the experience unique and memorable.
Planning Your Next Adventure
It is also important to look forward to the next experiences in the future which can also help alleviate post-holiday sadness. For LGBT couples, planning the next trip is not just about having something to look forward to on the horizon, it is also about having chances to be free, to be oneself, and to have chances to explore the world together without social prejudice. The process of planning becomes a fun and exciting activity that strengthens the relationship between two people.
Big fans of beach holidays? If you are not sure of where to go next, I wrote an article with my top 5 favourite beach destinations that you can check out after you’ve finished this one.
Begin with a general and broad subject of travel plans and aspirations. Would you like to see the list of the places that are friendly towards the members of the LGBT community? Do you have any particular event, or perhaps pride events that you would like to go to? Maybe you are into the history of sexual minorities and you’d like to see the places that are connected with it. No matter what you do, it is always a great idea to have both partners in the planning process so that you are planning for something that both of you will love.
Budgeting and Saving Together
It is also important for the two to make the functional aspects of planning a trip an enjoyable activity that they do together. Both of you should decide on an amount you want to save and then brainstorm as to how you can accomplish that. This could mean having to set weekly or monthly “budget dates” when you check how you are doing or come up with interesting ways of cutting down on expenses. For example, you can decide to have a no-eating-out month, where all the money that you save you put into your travel fund.
However, one must remember that the trip doesn’t have to be a luxurious and costly one in order to help fight post-vacation depression. Just the idea of planning for a weekend break, or a small tour can give that much-needed boost. The main thing to remember is that there must always be a goal and a common goal at that.
Engage in Activities That Foster Connection and Joy
Volunteering options can be chosen to be done together at LGBT organizations. This can be rather rewarding and can also prevent post-holiday depression due to the fact that you will have a sense of belonging in the community. Such activities as volunteering at an LGBT youth center, advocacy work, and volunteering for pride events, among others, are useful as they serve to deepen your relationship as a couple and improve the quality of your life as well as that of other people.
Discovering New Hobbies Together
Discovering a new couple’s interest is an excellent way to bring life back into your relationship or get through the post-holiday dull times. Select activities that you can both do together and at the same time develop new knowledge and skills. It can range from enrolling for a cooking course on the different cuisines you tasted on your previous trips to beginning an artwork such as painting or photography to capture your trips.
Some forms of activities are more helpful in lifting one’s spirits. It is possible to go to a gym, try something new like playing a new sport, dancing, or go to a park and ride bikes or go hiking. The chance to exercise, spend time with like-minded people, and feel the joy of acquiring new knowledge is a great way to fight post-holiday lethargy.
What I’m saying here is that a mini staycation could be the answer to getting over those post-vacay blues. Want some ideas on what to do? Check this article out.
Nurturing Your Relationship
Open Communication
The first and probably the most vital step to avoid post-holiday blues for an LGBT couple is communication. Allow both of you to speak your feelings, it is good for both of you to share if you are feeling sad or disappointed after the holiday. This may mean scheduling times, when, at least, you can talk about how each of you feels, any difficulties encountered, and how the two of you can help each other.
Practising Self-Care as a Couple
However, when people do self-care for themselves and their partners, it is even more helpful in fighting the post-holiday slump. It might entail setting a regular practice, such as a shared meditation or mindfulness, taking a soothing bath together, or just spending quality time embracing each other without multitasking.
Consider implementing a “digital detox” period where you both limit your use of social media and electronic devices. This can help reduce exposure to potentially triggering content (like others’ holiday photos) and allow you to focus more fully on each other and your immediate experiences.
Conclusion
Getting over the post-holiday blues is a process that needs time, tolerance, and conscious work from both sides of a couple. Some of these measures include mimicking vacation experiences at home, anticipating the next vacation, participating in community activities as well as encouraging communication and self-care in the relationship, all of which are beneficial ways that can help LGBT couples not only to live but to flourish during the post-vacation period. As you will learn, this is but a temporary stage in the life of any couple, and if handled correctly, such a period can serve as the catalyst for a renewal of the couple’s commitment to each other. As you move through this stage as a couple, keep on cherishing the love that you have for each other and the individual aspects of your relationship.
