Give Yourself a Landing Day

Aug 7
2 min read

Updated: Aug 9

Read Time: 4 Minutes

You planned every detail of your vacation.

You booked the hotel.

Packed the suitcases.

Mapped out the itinerary.

Reserved the rental car.

But did you plan your return home?

I used to treat the day after vacation like it was supposed to be business as usual. I'd rush back to work, live out of suitcases for a week, and wonder why I felt more exhausted than refreshed.

Now I do something different.

I give myself a landing day.

Just last week my daughter and I spent four days in Disneyland.

We drove seven hours each way, stayed at my sister's studio apartment, walked 12-14 hours a day in 90-degree heat, stayed for the fireworks each night, and squeezed every ounce of fun out of the trip.

By the time we pulled in front of our house Sunday evening and saw that familiar front door, we were happy - but we were also exhausted.

Years ago, I would have unpacked just enough to survive Monday morning before rushing back to work and launching into a new week.

Now, I intentionally leave that day open.

Not because I'm lazy, but because I know we'll need it.

We sleep in. We unpack the suitcases. We wash a few loads of laundry. We restock the fridge. We talk about our favorite moments from the trip while they're still fresh.

Slowly, we transition back into everyday life.

We naturally build time into our lives to prepare for important moments, but we rarely build time in to recover from them.

We often think recovery begins when something goes wrong.

But I've learned that even that happiest experiences deserve time to settle.

A vacation doesn't end when you pull into the driveway.

It ends when the laundry is folded, the groceries are restocked, the suitcases are put away, and your mind has caught up with where your body already is.

That's what a landing day gives me.

It isn't a day about doing nothing.

It's about giving myself permission to transition instead of rushing into the next big thing.