Facing Down Post-Trip Depression: This Too Will Pass

I know what depression is. I recognize it, like an old friend knocking at the door who wants to move in for a month or two. So I do something about it. Give up sugar, start to exercise, talk it out, see the family doctor. At the moment, I would say I'm not depressed, but some warning signs are creeping in. What the hell, I am thinking of my summer trip to Ladakh. I am reading a great book about the general area I visited last month. I'm back at work, as the school year is starting and I'm trying to rev up the engines. I'm pretty broke, having forgotten to make deposits, and behind on my bills, mostly because I haven't cared enough to open the mail in weeks. I've got a sneaking suspicion that all my adult children are not 100% as content as I want them to be. So why not? Of course I would be feeling a little low now and then. There's nothing wrong with that. One thing I know for sure. As the sun rises and sets, as the tides of the ocean, and the cycles of nature, ebb and flow: This too will pass.

But it's fine! I have learned that temporarily adapting a mildly depressive mood is an excellent way to deal with stress. It's like walking a tightrope. You can't get too into it, or you'll go over the edge into self-pity and despair. But if you carry your balancing stick, whatever it may be, you can walk that tightrope of stress and disappointment and keep yourself upright. Although it's occasionally (no, rarely) an appealing thought to imagine just giving up, succumbing, becoming so damn sick that other people have to take care of you, and that all decisions and responsibilities are lifted from your shoulders, it's certainly preferable to make it to the other side of the tightrope, and stand victorious above the safety net and the (imaginary) applauding crowds in this big old circus tent of ours, the world.

It's not like the old days, when we could sprain an ankle or have a case of "nerves" or cough a bit of blood lightly into a handkerchief, and be sent off to a beautiful sanitorium with a bottle of laudanum...I always loved when the heroine in a book contracted TB and had to retire to the mountains, overlooking Lake Como perhaps, sitting in peace for months with a blanket on the lap and a porcelain and silver tea service on a tray.......those days are gone.

Out of curiosity I googled "post travel depression" and checked in at this very curious (slightly idiotic, but well-meaning) entry on the curious and curioser Wikipedia:


Post vacation blues (or just vacation blues) or less commonly, post travel depression (PTD) is a type of mood that persons returning home from a long trip (usually a vacation) may experience.

Background
A person may suffer from post vacation blues after returning home or to a normal routine from a long vacation, especially if it was a pleasurable one. The longer a trip lasts, the more intense the post vacation blues may be. This is because the person would be longing for their travel experiences. Post vacation blues may result in tiredness, loss of apetite, strong feelings of nostalgia, and in some cases, depression. Jet lag may intensify the post vacation blues.

Treatment
In general, post vacation blues wear off after time. It usually takes a few days for the mood to wear off, although in some cases, it can take up to 1.5 times the length of the trip. Other ways of treating post vacation blues are for the person to share their experiences with family and friends, or to look at photo and souvenirs.

I say that this entry is slightly idiotic because I know that the person who wrote it has never been to India. If you go to India you are not going to recover your wits in 1.5 times the length of the trip. I've shirked, oppositionally-defiant, when people say "India is life-changing!" I don't like that. It's not even life-changing, that phrase doesn't cut it. It's ineffable. It reduces you to a shambles. It takes your breath away. It helps you understand so much. It's....life, uh...life-, uh....it's just life. And if you're lucky enough to experience it in a positive light, just count your blessings and try to keep your balance.

Now I want to go to Cuba for Christmas. Before it's too late, while it's still interesting, before the atmosphere changes too much, while the arts are innocent and the air is shadowy and yet freshly invigorated.