Beware of the Dip
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

Have you ever noticed how you have this dip in emotions after you return from a vacation or an inspiring event? The good news is that it’s completely normal and doesn’t mean you hate your job and need to change. Last week I was in Orlando and experienced three amazing days of inspiring presentations and encouraging conversations with people. We even discussed the “dip” we would face when the conference ended. To make my own “dip” even deeper, I was in travel purgatory for two days as I tried to make my way back north. If you count the tram at the airport as a train, it took trains, planes, and automobiles to return to Syracuse. Let’s look at a few things each of us can do to navigate the dip or, in some cases, the chasm we could face.

• • Practice Gratitude – When returning from vacation, reflect on how thankful you are for the opportunity to go on vacation. Review your pictures and even select a few to print or save as your lock screen on your phone. I was blessed to be traveling with two other people during my (lengthy) trip home, and we encouraged each other by looking at the positives. Yes, our flight was canceled, but we were able to get a hotel room. We couldn’t find flights to Syracuse, but we found a flight to Philadelphia and were able to rent a car. At one point, someone said, “So thankful we could fly into Philly instead of New York City. It’s so much easier to get out of Philadelphia.” It may take some effort, but there are always things to be grateful for.
  • Get Busy – For me, I need to engage back into my work quickly. I also find it helpful to review and share with others the things I learned while away. If you are coming back from professional development, a training, or a conference, look back into the content so the energy from the great experience starts to return. If you are returning from vacation, jump back into work the same way. Get busy, and don’t allow yourself to start feeling sorry for yourself.
  • Focus on something exciting that you can plan for or work toward. Often, we are more excited about planning something than the event itself. When you engage in the next event, your brain quickly moves into a forward focus rather than lamenting over something that has passed.

The dip is very real. Don’t ignore it but let it be the impetus to get going again. Next week I will share some key takeaways from my trip. Have a great week.