After the holiday, vacation, conference, birthday,

Is it just me or do YOU have a more difficult time bouncing back from doing things out of your “normal routine?”

There are times when I expect to need some down time – after Thanksgiving, Christmas or Chanukkah are the traditional times that you seem to NEED to take a WEEK and really relax. We put SO much effort into shopping, cleaning, decorating and cooking and after all is said and done – we’re exhausted.

But lately, even the smaller events have been taking their toll. For example

• I spent three days at the evo Conference in Park City, UT. It was WONDERFUL and I couldn’t have had a better time. Yet, one week later I’m still tired and dragging my heels. The house is a wreck, dinners are on the fly and I can’t seem to get back to my schedule.
• This Sunday we had a nice dinner party in Fort Lauderdale at my brother’s house. He’s an amazing cook and all I did was to help him out with the little things. Yet it’s now Tuesday and I can’t seem to get back on track.

Do you remember the days when you could go out and party until 2 or 3 in the morning and still make it to to work on time? When did a break in our routine or even spending become such a hurdle?

With conferences and vacations coming throughout the summer – I’m determined to find ways to soften the blow and be able to bounce back a little more quickly.

What can be done to help?

Stick with your sleep routine – I think that this is the KEY to not coming home out of whack. I hate to say this, but messing with our body clock takes the BIGGEST toll in not being able to bounce back.

Pre-work – UGH. I don’t know about you, but WORK is WORK and FUN is FUN and mixing the two makes the fun seem a little more like work than I like. If you work from home (or are a blogger), why not pre-write or do a little extra work BEFORE you go away, so that you have an extra day or 2 when you get back home? You can even steal an hour while relaxing ON your vacation to write – so that you get that down time you need when you get back home.

Stick to a budget – One of the biggest vacation and holiday stressors for me is looking at my credit card or bank statement after all is said and done. On our last trip to the islands I bought a $600 watch and a $200 bracelet. When you’re shopping for holiday gifts, throwing a party or are on vacation -we tend to toss the budget out the window, only to have it come back and BITE US after. BTW – I would have bought the watch anyway (it was less than 1/2 of what it would have cost here and it was a birthday gift for hubby), but at least having a budget I would have been PREPARED for it.

Relax – I know that you want dinner to be perfect. But, it’s a heck of a lot more fun to sit and have a drink with your guests than run around the kitchen like a crazed animal. REALLY!!!! Do 1/2 of what you think that you “should”, buy prepared desserts, etc. Having a party is supposed to be fun – YES FUN FOR YOU TOO!

Do you have any tips for bouncing back quickly (because I sure could use them)? Feel free to post them in the comments below and share with those of us who seem to want to party a little too hard and are NO LONGER 21!