- Adele Leung
What Do We Do With Holiday Blues?
Life is stressful in Hong Kong, we tend to want to take vacations and check out from this stress. But often after taking a break from vacations, it is even harder to get back into life and that feels even more stressful and depressing.
My purpose in living in HK was once to escape. Every few months I would travel, short trips lasted for a few weeks and long trips were a few months. Once I flew to South America on the other side of the planet, 3 times in one year.
I used to think every time I travelled I was stepping into the door of happiness, because I so wanted to escape life here. But gradually I realised when I escaped, what I escape I still have to face again.
So I stopped going on vacations for many years until recently when I felt I was ready again. This time I did an experiment. I committed to life in Hong Kong until the very last minute. When I arrived at my destination, I was able to carry on this commitment in life. The routine I had in Hong Kong, such as cooking, cleaning and working etc. I continued to a certain extent while I was there. Of course I still had time to rest and to do things I don't often have the chance to do in HK.
What I realised was actually work, travel or vacation is one life, there is no separation. So if in vacation I have chosen to check out, what then will this void be filled with? If I choose not to commit to life on a vacation, will this affect how I can get back to life in Hong Kong?
Now I choose to deal with work and life with the same attitude, and I find that I am much more joyful than before, as this joy has no transitional period.