Inside the airport express you still felt refreshed und summery – motivated again to attack work, restart your workout routine and reanimate your social life. Then the disenchantment hit you. The moment you stepped outdoors, the heat and humidity coated you like a heavy fur. Pollution levels at 10 “very high” colour the sky yellow. Here we call it “haze”. The jackhammers in your street remind you that you better be vibrant. Everything in your apartment is hot. Hot glasses, hot plates hot walls. Hot water comes out of your tap no matter which way. And when the cockroaches fly … Wondering why you feel a bit low? A bit much low maybe?
Coming back to the city after a vacation or a longer break is a challenge for most people I know and I work with. And quite a few develop a depressed mood and bring it up with me as they see this getting in the way of their well-being and performance.
“Hot town, summer in the city, back of neck getting dirty and gritty
Summer in the City by The Lovin’ Spoonful – John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Steve Boone. 1966
Been down, isn’t it a pity, doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk hotter than a match head …”
One of the main reasons we can give for the shock of re-entry is the sudden and extreme change of climate for most who come back from other continents. Heat and humidity are hard to deal with when you found yourself cycling through Hyde Park with a fleece on or had a pint under a mushroom heater on Pony Island just a day before. Of course coming back from leisurely activities, fresh air and your own holiday swing to find yourself back at work and duty does not help your mood. Neither do commuting and rushing for lunch. The downward trend of your sentiment often amplified by the accelerated pace of this place. It’s likely some of your favourite eateries, bars and shops are gone and replaced or under construction.
But then again one more aspect is often overlooked: The emotional baggage that you have brought back with you. It did not show up as weight at the checkin counter, but surely can weigh heavy on you now that you have unpacked and washed all the other dirty laundry. Maybe you come back from a family visit, an alumni gathering or just met some friends or even strangers. It is likely that you have witnessed age and ageing including your’s. It is likely that you had time to reflect on life or were forced to do so by places, people and situations. It is also likely that each time you travel you gain more insight, more maturity and more perspective – not always in a good way.
Inside the airport express you still felt refreshed und summery – motivated again to attack work, restart your workout routine and reanimate your social life. Then the disenchantment hit you. The moment you stepped outdoors, the heat and humidity coated you like a heavy fur. Pollution levels at 10 “very high” colour the sky yellow. Here we call it “haze”. The jackhammers in your street remind you that you better be vibrant. Everything in your apartment is hot. Hot glasses, hot plates hot walls. Hot water comes out of your tap no matter which way. And when the cockroaches fly … Wondering why you feel a bit low? A bit much low maybe?
Your checked-in baggage of sadness and grief, anger and frustration as well as self-pity and apprehension waits for you at the conveyor belt on arrival at our Mos Eisley-like fragrant harbour. Tropical depression gets to you when you have been traveling without acceptance and self-love.