Self-Diagnosis: I'm Suffering From Post Vacation Depression

*Throws self on carry-on bag*

Why Lawd WHY?

*Sigh*

Yesterday, I came home from a fantastical extended weekend getaway in northern California. (Review coming soon.) I had a ball. That jaunt was just what the doctor ordered. The cat's meow. The bee's knees. The yin to my yang. The - well, you get the point.

But I swear, as soon as my flight landed at JFK and I walked down the jetway into the airport, my shoulders started to tighten, jaws suddenly clenched and all of my day-to-day anxieties came flooding back to me at once. Granted, I was extremely jet-lagged, had been awake since 3:00AM Pacific Standard Time, didn't sleep on the plane, had indigestion from dinner from the night before, barely ate anything at all and sat in traffic for 3 hours before I got home, but still, there was something more going on here.

Because I'm a hypochondriac, I hopped on my phone (as I sat in traffic) and Googled my symptoms. Turns out, I'm suffering from Post Vacation Depression: irritability, jet lag, prolonged moments of nostalgia, fear of returning to routines. That's SO how I feel right now.

And this isn't an isolated experience. I first noticed these feelings about 11 years ago when I came home from my first trip to London. I was down for weeks. Much like today, I came back home questioning my goals, my decision or indecision to live where I live, feeling trapped, fantasizing about what it would be like to pack up my belongings and move, and so on and so on.

Usually, the feelings subside and I'm sure my current sensation to quit my job, pack up my bags and move to Sausalito will follow suit. But I guess what I really would like to know is how do you tell the difference between the normal, run-of-the-mill vacation blues versus the real need for a change of pace? How will I know if my routine has run its course and where I just came back from visiting could actually become my new home?

I know. I know. Life isn't a vacation. And there's no running away from responsibility. No matter where I live, at some point, I'll need a vacation from there as well.

I guess I'm just cranky and frustrated. Dammit, I should feel relaxed and refreshed. Instead, I'm daydreaming about fermenting grapes in Napa and racing up and down the hills of San Francisco. Permanently.

How do you decompress from the high that is a great vacation or getaway? Do you find it hard to jump back into the routine of everyday life? Or am I simply really bad at separating fantasy from reality?

Talk to me.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

*Googles jobs in California*  :-/