Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

The cool breeze danced across my skin, momentarily relieving me from the heat of the sun's rays and allowing me to breathe in the sweet, salty scent of the sea. I lift myself up for another sip of my smooth, refreshing piña colada and take in the sight of the light crashing of the waves and the bluest blue waters I have ever laid eyes on. I never want this moment to end.

Snap! I am back to reality. As I exited the plane at Beijing International Airport, I felt simultaneously happy to be home and depressed.

No more Thai massages on the beach. No more room service. No more free days with exciting things to see and do. Now, it is just back to the office, back to my apartment and back to the day-to-day routine. I feel tired, sad and not even ready to meet up and hang out with friends. I just want to look at my pictures, relive the magical journey I just had and continue to escape there in my mind.

The "after holiday blues" is nothing new. Associate professor Michael Baigent, an advisor for beyondblue, a mental health organization based in Australia, said, "There is a period of adjustment while you align yourself with your day-to-day existence."

He also said that until your next vacation, you shouldn't resign yourself to a life that doesn't make you happy.

Life coach Shannah Kennedy agrees, saying that you should incorporate inspiring things to fill your upcoming weeks, months and even days.

"Ideally, every time you come back from a holiday you have an opportunity to dump an old habit, find a new way of thinking or try something new," she said. "It doesn't have to be anything big, just something to get you excited and inspired."

Some other suggestions are to make a tribute to your holiday by creating a travel blog, scrapbook or just sharing your pictures and experiences with family and friends.

Almost all the sources I looked into to treat my gloomy feelings said to find something to look forward to. It could be anything from planning another big vacation to organizing a day trip somewhere more local. The point is, we go on vacation to shake things up and get a break from daily life, so getting back to what we were escaping from is never easy.

I am going to create a collage of pictures for my room, keep in contact with the new friends I met on my trip and have old friends over to tell them about my adventures.

I also want to take a bigger step and try to keep this feeling alive in me instead of an all-or-nothing approach.

Planning short day trips and researching the next place I want to jet off to will help keep my head in the clouds with my feet still firmly planted on the ground.

It's hard to get back to daily life, but without all the hard work and day-to-day activities, vacation wouldn't be so sweet! Until then, I will treat myself to a piña colada every now and then, close my eyes and take myself back to that beautiful beach, if only just for a moment.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.