The good is over. We leave behind the days at the beach, naps, paellas, picnics and long nights. It's time to go back to the routine, the parents go back to work and the children go back to school. Returning to routines can lead to post-vacation syndrome in children with going back to school. But what is post-vacation syndrome and how can we detect it in our children?
Post-vacation syndrome in children
Medically there is no category within diagnostic manuals today that catalogs post-vacation syndrome as an illness or disorder. But what is certain is that there is a series of symptoms that affect children and parents in that adaptation period between after the holidays and the return to routine.
With the arrival of September, many children feel a lot of tension about going back to school, adjusting to the new schedules, returning to the routine of eating and sleeping, preparing their things for the start of the year and the nerves of their new class. All this is what they have to do in a very short time, which prevents children from adapting progressively and adequately.
Symptoms of post-vacation syndrome in children
These are the symptom of post-vacation syndrome in children: sadness, apathy, listlessness, irritability, general weakness, lack of motivation, mood swings, loss of appetite, anguish and anxiety. They are the main indications that a child has post-vacation syndrome.
The symptoms will depend a lot on the age of the child and the degree of suffering with what going back to school represents. It is their way of reacting to the changes they have to face. Post-vacation syndrome usually lasts from 2 days to 1 week. If the psychological symptoms persist longer they can turn into physical symptoms such as headaches, tummy aches or lack of sleep.
In summer children have much more freedom of movement, they can go to bed later, enjoy the pool and beach, eat after hours, get up late ... quite the opposite of their school routine. They involve early rises, sleeping and eating routines, long hours in schools, extracurricular activities, and exams.
How to detect post-vacation syndrome in children
The main symptoms are rather psychological and children will not say that they have post-vacation syndrome (they will not even know what it is). So we will have to be aware of the behavior of our children. See if it has changed and in what way it has changed. The main symptoms we have seen above, but those that are usually more present are sadness, irritability, lack of concentration and anxiety.
How can we help you?
Parents hold the key so that this adaptation process is as bearable as possible. If children see that their parents have a bad time going back to work, they will perceive it and that feeling will be contagious. Must avoid focusing on the negative of going back to school in front of the children so that they do not do the same. We must learn to see the positives back to the routine, help them motivate themselves with the new challenges that arise, and all the good that comes back to school. It is also important to make a return to progressive routine. Returning two or three days before also favors adaptation. Seizing until the last moment can create more shock and contrast, and make adaptation more difficult.
Seeing his classmates, sleeping in his bed, retrieving activities and toys that he likes ... everything the child liked about his school routine. In addition, by doing this for parents, it will also be much easier for us to return to work with a different attitude and motivation.
If the symptoms persist for more than two weeks, we advise you to go to a psychologist to look for the causes of the depressive syndrome.
Because remember ... every stage has its bad and good things, you have to know how to look for the positive of all in which we are at all times.