The Long Weekend Come Down

Feeling heavy after the long weekend? This one’s for you.

You might’ve felt it before your feet even hit the floor, maybe it crept in Monday night or lingered in the background Tuesday morning. The post-long weekend slump. A heavy, restless feeling you can’t quite shake.

If you're feeling scattered or down, you're not alone. Here’s why this happens and what can help.

Why the long weekend hits harder than a regular one:

• Social jetlag: Staying up late, sleeping in, and shaking up your routine throws off your internal clock.

• The hedonic treadmill: After something great, the return to normal feels extra dull. It's not that your job got worse. You just had a dopamine high.

• Burning the candle at both ends: Travel, errands, parties, catching up with people, your long weekend might not have been very restful at all.

Whenever I feel this way, my first instinct is to fix it (which usually just makes me feel worse). But the thing is, feeling off after a vacation isn’t actually a problem to solve. It’s just your brain coming down from the high of a long weekend, trying to recalibrate its reward system.

That said, there are a few things that can help your system regulate a little faster.

A few ways to bounce back:

• Don’t play catch-up all at once. Spread tasks over a few days, starting with easy wins first.

• Get outside early. Natural light resets your rhythm and clears mental fog.

• Move your body. Start the day with a light workout or even a 10 minute walk.

• Plan a midweek ritual. You're favourite dinner. An early night. Something that feels like a mini reset.

• Lower the bar. You don’t need to be brilliant, you just need to start.

Moral of the story: You don’t need to do anything big. Just ride it out, be patient with yourself, and maybe come for a sauna :)

You’re not behind, you’re just adjusting. And that’s more than enough.