Why you still feel tired after your break

Summer is over. Back to reality.

Which begs the question: how relaxed and recharged do you actually feel?

You wouldn’t be the first to return from a holiday happy but not quite re-energized.

Whether it was the heat, the uncomfortable bed (dare I say inflatable mattress?), or the mosquitoes dancing around your head. Perhaps it was indigestion—or worse—from the foreign food. Or you’re simply overwhelmed from all the sights you took in, possibly recovering from jetlag.

Or maybe, just maybe, the lack of feeling refreshed is tied to not being able to let go of your work. Constantly checking your email, thinking about tasks to complete once you get back or worrying about anything work-related.

My rookie mistake

I know it’s not easy to power down entirely. In fact, this summer I had more trouble disconnecting from work than usual. In my second week I had a podcast interview scheduled (which will air next week).

Because that required some prep, I got it in my head to finish up a few things as well. And someone had reached out, wanting to meet regarding his burnout. Since it was a local contact, I thought I might as well fit that in the day after the podcast. Because meeting over fresh orange juice in the park hardly counts as work. Right?

Except that meant that after one week of lovely time off in France I got fully back into work mode. And as you probably know it takes some time to unwind and fully relax.

Let’s just say I won’t be making that mistake again.

Our programming runs the show

But this is how it happens. Because we think that we need to say yes to the podcast, the meeting, the phone call or project.

We forget to check in with our body and see what it needs. We say yes out of habit or expectation. We keep going until our body tells us to stop.

So as things are gearing back up again, I invite you to keep listening to your body. Be alert to what it’s telling you. Give yourself permission to pause long enough to wonder whether you need a break. Or are perhaps done for the day.

If it feels hard to do these things, that might be your unconscious programming running in the background. A conditioning we’re often blind to or feel powerless about.

That’s not something we can fix in this moment, but I can help you get a bit more in touch with your body. 😉

I suggest you take a moment right now. Notice your breathing. Is your breath feeling deep and relaxed—easily going into your belly? Or is your breath much higher in your chest, feeling more shallow when you pay attention to it?

To deepen your breathing start with a big sigh. Then place a hand on your lower belly and take three slow breaths towards your hand. Repeat as often as needed. 

When your breathing deepens it’s a signal to your body to relax.

If you want to come home to yourself and love your life again. If you want to have more energy and more joy, then my Come Home to Yourself program might be for you. We start at the end of the month.

Read all about this transformative program here.

There’s a maximum of 6 participants so we can go really deep with what you need.

PS If you speak Dutch, check out the upcoming workshop on September 26th here. Ontdek in één dag waar je het contact met jezelf bent kwijtgeraakt en zet de eerste concrete stap naar meer energie, rust en plezier.

Iris van Ooyen guides people home to themselves. As a life transformation mentor with 20+ years of experience, she offers hope with a compass—helping you find your way back to who you truly are when life’s demands have made you lose touch with yourself. She’s the author of Radiant: How to Have All the Energy You Need to Live a Life You Love. When you feel life should be more than this, contact Iris to come home to yourself—and love your life again. 

Follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.