Post-Holiday Blues: Understanding the Emotional Drop After Big Events

---

The feeling no one posts about

The photos look bright, the comments sound excited, yet your body feels heavy and your mind is oddly empty. After the build-up to a big event or a long-awaited holiday, many people experience a quiet emotional drop once it is over; this is called the post-holiday blues. It can show up as flatness, fogginess, irritability, or a sense that regular life suddenly feels too quiet. If this is you, you are not broken. You are human, and your nervous system is making a normal adjustment.

Why the emotional drop happens

Big events, even the happy ones, ask a lot of our systems. Planning, packing, social coordination, new places, new people, plus the loop of anticipation, all create a steady stream of stimulation. Your brain receives novelty and reward, your body produces energy to keep up, and routine cues fall away. When the event ends, stimulation reduces quickly, routine returns, and your body has to recalibrate. The contrast, not the quality of your life, is often what hurts.

Three common ingredients feed the drop -

1. Loss of anticipation: the countdown is finished, so the forward pull that gave daily life momentum is gone.

2. Decision fatigue: during travel or celebrations, you make many small choices, and once you stop, your brain can feel overloaded and slow.

3. Social whiplash: you may go from constant company to quiet rooms; this shift often feels lonely, even if you enjoy your own space.

The contrast, not the quality of your life, is often what hurts.

How to steady yourself in the first 72 hours

Think of reentry as a gentle landing rather than a hard stop. Start with hydration, sunlight, and sleep structure, because the body is the quickest entry point to mood. Aim for a consistent wake time for three days, take a short morning walk for light exposure, and eat something grounding like oats, eggs, or yoghurt with fruit. Keep caffeine and alcohol predictable rather than reactive. These basics signal safety to your nervous system and reduce the sense of inner wobble.

Next, create one anchor task and one pleasurable micro-moment each day. The anchor task is simple and visible: unpack the main bag, pay one bill, and clear the kitchen bench. The micro-moment is equally small: a cup of tea on the balcony, five slow breaths in the car before you go inside, or a song you loved from the trip playing while you tidy. Completion and enjoyment together help the brain relearn that ordinary life contains reward.

Finally, name the feelings without judging them. Try, “I feel flat and a bit sad, this makes sense after such a big week, it will pass.” Naming emotion engages the thinking brain, which reduces intensity and shame. If you journal, write three lines only: what I miss, what I am grateful for, what I can do today. Keep it short and kind.

Start with hydration, sunlight, and sleep structure, because the body is the quickest entry point to mood.

Rebuilding gentle routine, not rigid rules

A common trap is to overcorrect. You might return and try to overhaul everything in one day. This spikes stress and often leads to a second crash. Instead, build a bridge between holiday mode and home mode. Keep one element you loved from the event and plant it into your week. If you walked every morning on the beach, choose two mornings in Runaway Bay or Burleigh Heads for a 15-minute stroll. If you enjoyed long dinners with family, schedule one simple shared meal with no phones. If a slower pace felt nourishing, block a short buffer between appointments where possible. Bridges reduce contrast, and contrast is the culprit.

When the drop points to something deeper

Sometimes the post-event blues highlight needs that were quiet before. You might notice that only during holidays do you feel fully connected to your partner, or that the only time you rest is when a plane ticket forces it. You might realise that your weekdays lack meaning, not just excitement. These insights are not failures; they are invitations. Therapy can help you turn the “come down” into clarity, values alignment, and sustainable change. That could mean redesigning your routines, improving communication at home, resolving old patterns that keep you in overdrive, or processing stress that the holiday temporarily covered.

A note for sensitive nervous systems

If you live with anxiety, trauma history, or sensory sensitivity, the reentry can feel more intense. Your system may interpret the quiet as unsafe because it is unfamiliar. Grounding skills help. Try a 3,3,3 practice: name three things you see, three sounds you hear, and three sensations you feel in your body. Place your feet flat on the floor, press your palms together, and lengthen your exhale a little longer than your inhale. If nightmares, body tension, or startle responses increase after a trip or event, EMDR or other trauma-informed approaches can support your system to settle and integrate.

Small signals that you are turning the corner

People often ask how they will know when the blues are easing. Look for simple markers. Your appetite starts to stabilise, you feel a little more present during everyday tasks, your mind stops replaying the event quite so often, and the future feels slightly more open. Do not aim for perfect, aim for one notch better. If you can smile at something small today, you are moving.

If you can smile at something small today, you are moving.

What to do if the flatness lingers

If mood remains low for more than two weeks, if sleep is consistently disrupted, if you notice persistent anxiety, or if you lose interest in things you usually enjoy, it is worth talking with a professional. Support is not only for crises, it is also for transitions. A few sessions can make reentry smoother, help you keep the parts of the event that mattered, and build steadier wellbeing for the months ahead.

If mood remains low for more than two weeks... it is worth talking with a professional.

Gentle checklist for your next reentry

If you like planning, keep this in your phone before your next trip or milestone. Schedule one buffer day, plan two anchor meals at home, prepare one small joy for your first evening back, and set a reminder to move your body outdoors within 24 hours of returning. Future you will thank you.

If you are navigating a post-holiday or post-event crash and want support, I can help. At Hope Prevails on the Gold Coast, I offer person-centred therapy, CBT, EMDR, and practical reentry planning for individuals and couples. Book a private session to explore what this drop is trying to tell you, and build a routine that feels good to come home to.

Get in touch via the contact page for a consultation and to book a time that suits.