Are you kidding me? Darned if you do and darned if you don’t.

Vacation is more precious than life itself. You saved, stood on your head to make the schedule work, studiously avoided anyone that sniffled, and wiped off the grocery cart handle, every time.

You went to the near perfect place, found entertaining diversions for 2 or 3 generations, ate like Vikings, and slept in.

And now you’re home in one piece, rested, renewed and depressed. Depressed?

You just got a case of the “post vacation blues.” If it’s any consolation, even though it probably isn’t, you are not alone. Studies show that a third of all adults are affected by post vacation depression (PV blues).

This funk tends to last a week or two, about 1.5 times the length of the vacation. One has to wonder, if only from a mathematical standpoint, if vacation is worth it.

The symptoms are usually limited to a melancholy affect or feeling blue. The more common type of depression is often associated with loss of appetite, which might not be such a bad thing after vacation.

Sleeplessness is also usually associated with depression, which would at least let you get caught up on email.

Post vacation blues, perhaps unfortunately, usually lacks these symptoms and you are left with mere sadness.

Medicine has few answers for you, at least in the short run. Most antidepressants (SSRIs) take 3 or 4 weeks before they kick in, and PV blues have usually passed by then.

Sleeping medications may help with jet lag, but are of little use when dealing with depression. There just hasn’t been an invention that offers immediately effective “happiness in a bottle.” We’re working on it …

Where we lack well researched, scientifically grounded answers, we are good at making it up as we go.

The internet is full of sensible sounding advice on the subject. Suggestions to relive your vacation memories are often tossed about as useful for post vacation blues.

Gather up the family to see the slides, but best keep it to family as vacation slide shows are deadly to friendships. A little mental imagery of idyllic vacation moments can give a measurable boost to your mood. Do something in your everyday life to remind you of your adventures. Hawaiian shirt to work? Flip flops with your three piece?

Overall, be reassured that this is a normal part of reintegration into our chosen lives. The post vacation funk is brief, self-limiting, and the price you pay to play.

Take care, and start planning your next trip!

Dr. B

New research emphasizes what has generally been accepted for a long time – keeping the brain active and well tuned is best achieved by a combination of both intellectual stimulation and physical exercise.

The aging mind and body has a certain amount of inevitable decline. The only certainty in life remains change, and change we must. How we change and how much we can slow our decline or renew our mental and physical capacity is the challenge we all confront.

Extensive experience and research has demonstrated the advantages of regular exercise and continuing mental stimulation throughout a lifetime. Anecdotal experiences abound of recovery from illness, injury and staving off the effects of aging.

Although the myriad of brain function remains mostly a mystery, we are bit by bit getting glimpses into how it works, grows and recovers.

After brain injury from trauma or stroke, we have long engaged the benefits of providing stimulating intellectual challenges to advance the recovery process. This has also included regular exercise. Clearly, exercise has increased the recovery rate after brain injury, as long as it’s included appropriately for an individual’s level of conditioning.

Recent studies in both animals and humans provide some small insight as to why and how this works. Exercise appears to stimulate growth of new brain cells and even helps them integrate with existing parts of the brain to improve brain function. The entire mechanism remains unclear.

Through high-tech scans of the brain and sophisticated tests that determine increased levels of hormones known to encourage growth and regeneration of brain cells, we are able to measure a response in healthy people and animals when they exercise regularly.

A distinct difference was seen in brain structure and ability to function at a higher intellectual level in those who exercise and those who do not. Even when gender, diet and other variables were considered, exercise created increased brain activity and increased levels of chemical messengers that influence the creation of new brain cells.

A more recent finding indicates that the brain is able to grow new brain cells. Moreover, the new cells have to be trained to work in concert with cells that are already functioning and sometimes even specialized.

How this all happens remains a somewhat mysterious process. The latest research confirms neurogenesis (process by which new nerve cells are generated) and that physical exercise enhances the process and integration of new brain cells.

Some have referred to the brain as the muscle between your ears. The message is clear even though we have yet to illuminate all the intricacies of this elegant computer. Regular exercise and continued intellectual challenges keep the mind and body fresh and in good condition.

Dr. Bruce Kaler