Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.

• I'll be talking about what happens just after we end our vacations.

• Later, a cool mini-story to practice your English speaking.

Let me start by telling you that I'm super excited to be back again and connecting with you! How are you doing? Are you feeling happy and relaxed? Or are you feeling blue?

We’re in September, so I can officially say that the summer holidays are over.

During summer, I've been resting, sunbathing, and enjoying my free time. I've recharged my batteries.

I like to be near the beach, enjoy the sun, the sea breeze, and eat delicious food. I must say that I've managed to disconnect from my routine completely.

How about you? How did you disconnect from your everyday worries?

Talking about disconnecting and taking a break. In September, a fascinating phenomenon occurs:

I’m referring myself to the post-holiday blues, also known as the post-travel depression.

By the way, did you know that the color blue is actually the most popular color in the world? The color blue is also used to express feelings of sadness, nostalgia, or depression.

Here are two expressions where we use the color blue to describe sadness: "feeling blue" or "getting the blues."

Examples:

It seems that you are feeling blue. Is there something wrong?

Ann gets the blues every Christmas holiday. She lives away from home, so she misses her family.

You might like to know that the Blues is a music style characterized by the sometimes sad or down focus and melancholy melodies.

The phrase "blue Monday" means feeling sad. These are often, the feelings experienced by many when the weekend is over.

Let's get back to the post-holiday blues, which is a mood experienced by many people after returning from a long trip or holiday.

Although we all love an extended holiday, we'll need to face the downside: we'll suffer from the post-holiday blues.

The effects people usually experience are tiredness, loss of appetite, nostalgia, and even depression. It can become tough to get back again to reality.

Additionally, if you've traveled to a country with a significant time shift, the effects are even more noticeable since, in this case, you'll need to overcome the jet lag.

So if you've had a short vacation this year, don't worry. Just think that you'll get back to the routine again without going through the post-holiday blues drama.

Okay, so what can you do? How can you overcome the post-holiday Blues? Here are some tips:

1) Arrive home at least one day before the first day of work. I know it can be tempting to extend the trip as much as possible; it's essential to get some rest in your own bed for at least one night. You'll need to familiarize yourself with your surroundings again.

2) Unpack: As soon as you arrive, unpack. Yes, I know tomorrow seems like a better day for that, but you're just fooling yourself. Seeing an unpacked suitcase is a reminder of your wonderful holiday. And don't forget to do your laundry too.

3) Plan your next trip. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. You just got back from one, but normally planning a trip can make you happy. In fact, I do this every time I come back from a trip. It really makes it easier for me to move on and start working again.

4) Recreate your favorite holiday dish. Why not? It's a way of savoring a positive aspect of the holidays again. Maybe it'll help you feel less nostalgic.

5) Stay at home and relax. As much as you want to share your pictures with your friends; I suggest that you take some time for yourself, at least for some days.

But you know what?

There's nothing better than to recover yourself by practicing your speaking with a new mini-story.

Now, let’s practice.