What was that flying by? It was our vacation.

Audit expert: Chen Mingxin

National Level 2 Psychological Counselor, Senior Human Resources Manager

How happy you are on vacation, how sad you are when you come back from vacation. "Time flies like an arrow, days and months pass by like a shuttle" seems to be embodied at this moment. When it comes to vacation, most people have a common feeling: how come the vacation is gone before you have had much rest? Why does vacation time always pass so quickly? And the time on weekdays seems to pass so slowly?

In fact, this illusion that "holidays pass quickly" has scientific basis.

0 1Why do holidays pass so quickly?

Psychologists believe that the brain has a special way of judging the passage of time. When people recall the past, their assessment of the length of time is mainly based on how many new things happened during that period. The more new things there are, the faster time feels like it has passed.

During holidays, the brain will record a lot of interesting memories in a short period of time, and the storage space will be filled up quickly. When we recall this time, we will feel that we have experienced a lot, and we will have the illusion that time has passed very quickly. On weekdays, the experience is relatively simple, and there are relatively few events that need to be remembered, so we feel that time has passed slowly.

Psychologists call this phenomenon the "holiday myth." Studies have found that when people are on vacation, they experience 6 to 9 memorable things every day, which is equivalent to the number of memories in daily life for 2 weeks.

During our long-awaited holidays, we are relaxed and distracted, and tend not to plan our time as precisely as we do on weekdays, which leads to a blurred perception of time.

During the holidays, we often lack a fixed routine, and the disruption of our biological clock can also affect our perception of time.

During the holidays, we often devote ourselves to things that interest us. The pleasure and satisfaction these things bring us make us unconsciously ignore the passage of time.

0 2Can the holiday be “extended”?

So, is there any way to extend our vacation time?

The key to "extending" the holiday and reducing the difference in time perception before and after the holiday lies in how to plan and use the holiday time. We can make holiday activity plans in advance and arrange time reasonably. In this way, we can not only enjoy the holiday better, but also feel that time has been extended psychologically.

It is also very important to maintain a regular schedule. Try to keep your wake-up and bedtimes similar to those of weekdays to help adjust your body clock and reduce the discomfort after the holiday.

We can also try to introduce some new activities or experiences during the vacation. These freshness and challenges will make our vacation more colorful, thus creating the illusion that time is stretched psychologically.

0 3 How to adjust your mood after the holiday

As soon as we think about the end of the holiday, our mood starts to get low. To alleviate this mood, we can take some tips:

Exercise to relax

Proper exercise can promote the body to secrete substances such as endorphins and dopamine, which can improve mood and make people feel happy and relaxed.

Social Sharing

Communicate with friends and colleagues about your holiday experiences and feelings and share your happiness. Social interaction can bring emotional support and make people feel that they are not alone. At the same time, they can also gain new inspiration and motivation from communication and adapt to life after the holiday more quickly.

Dietary adjustments

A healthy diet can have a positive impact on your mood. Avoid foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, as they can cause blood sugar fluctuations, weight gain, and other problems that can affect your mood.